Insert Name
by WeirdDutchGuy
Summary: Freak accidents happen every day, but this? Join me, yes me, as I travel through the world of Pokémon, trying to find a way to return to where I belong. Question is, once I find it, will I still want to take it...? A 'typical' self insertion.
1. Intro

* * *

**Insert //Name//**

* * *

**- I -**

**Introduction**

* * *

Hello there fellow fictionists, and welcome to my awesome tale. Might as well get the introductions over with now, because what you're really interested in is of course the story. I am a twenty year old guy, currently residing in the small speck of land called the Netherlands. My name is Rick, which is my first name in case you're wondering, and you're not getting my last for several reasons. First of all because in the land of Pokémon only Ash's last name seems to matter, and secondly because you wouldn't be able to pronounce it properly anyway. Dutch names come with being Dutch, so you must live with it. I'm a fairly normal human being, you know, two arms, two legs, a head… you get the picture. This human is just about 179 cm tall, or short, depending on your personal views, and weighs in at an astonishing 61 kg. You could call me the average male in almost all aspects, which I myself find quite handy when it comes to 'blending in'. The thing setting me apart is my mindset. I have been called random, insane, psychotic, arrogant, antisocial, egotistical, pathetic, pitiful, and weird, anything but average basically. However, I've always considered myself as 'one of the guys' regardless (what can I say, humans are pack animals)… well that's a blatant lie, actually. I've always been a loner, a hermit, an _einzelganger_ in all my life. But all that has changed suddenly, after a major boost of my self esteem and general happiness, and no one around me knows why. No one except me that is, but I'd be mad to tell them. I'm telling you now though, and do you know why? Because it makes a brilliant story. A brilliant "OT" story, that is. Because… _I've been there!_ Been there, done that, and got the T-shirt, as one would say. Sure, you could consider this 'just another lame self-insert fic' if you must, but at least judge after the read, ok? Anyway, _you wouldn't believe_ what happened to me two years ago…

* * *

A thunderstorm was brewing outside as I got home, soaking wet, and dumped my bag in the corner of the hall. Shouting a quick "I'm home" at the living room when I passed the door, I dashed up the stairs to my room. I was eager to see the trusty glow of my computer screen after another long day at school. At least it offered me _some_ escape from the boredom that came with the daily drag of my life. After quickly hitting several buttons in succession, the machine sprung to life with a soft hum. I stretched before setting myself down on the chair and pulled the keyboard towards me while the screen blipped to life, asking for my username and password. As I complied my window lit up with a sudden lightning flash and I gazed outside for a few moments before the low rumble of the accompanying thunder reached my ears. Not that I could see much from my window, my view getting distorted by the water flowing down it, but for some reason the rain made me feel more at ease. Turning my attention back to the screen I saw that all my settings had loaded, so I quickly got to work. Taking advantage of our broadband connection I browsed through all my usual sites in a matter of minutes, not seeing anything note worthy along the way. I sighed and closed the Internet browser, so much for alleviating my boredom. Then I remembered something, something I hadn't done in quite a while. Quickly clicking my way through several folders, I reached my destination; the VBA Emulator. Visual Boy Advanced, a combination of all handheld Nintendo platforms. I grinned as I started the program and opened my Pokémon Blue ROM file, quite curious to see where I had left off last time. The speed being set to five times the norm, the intro was finished in a matter of seconds and the screen loaded the small pack of houses that made up Lavender Town. Another flash diverted my attention, this time followed immediately by a loud, thundering boom. That one was close, and I paused for a moment to ask myself where it could've hit. Silently hoping it had struck my school, I redirected my attention back to the game with a giddy chuckle.

"Aw man, you're joking…" I muttered as I frowned at the screen in disappointment. My progress wasn't exactly good, as it seemed I had just barely made it out of the Rock Tunnel in one piece and with my semi-decent line up in tatters. I remembered I hadn't really been very patient when I was younger, and attributed the lack of strength to my lacking of that virtue. Oh well, I did have three badges, things could've been worse. Even if my strongest battler had hardly reached level twenty five. I would have to make due with this, despite being used to my Fire Red save that had all of the creatures well into the level eighties. It didn't take long for me to be repossessed by the old school game and I set about upping the levels a bit before trekking further. That's when the lightning struck. It happened so fast I couldn't consciously track what happened, but it must've struck me head on, right through both the window and my PC. I didn't feel anything, I didn't register any pain, in fact, if it wasn't for my body going numb I doubt I would've noticed anything at all. And that's when everything went black…

* * *

The bell went off with a loud ring, signalling that dinner was ready. As with every other day, Rick had immediately withdrawn back into his room the moment he got home, so his mother grabbed the phone and dialled his number on the 'intercom'. Waiting patiently for him to pick up, she turned off the stove and opened a drawer to get forks and knives. After letting it ring twenty times, she switched off the phone. Sighing impatiently, she made her way to the staircase and took in a good breath of air. 

"Rick, dinner's ready! Get it while it's still hot!" With that said, she turned back to the table. Ten more minutes passed without her son coming down to eat. Now genuinely annoyed, she interrupted her meal and stomped back to the staircase, intent on giving him a piece of her mind after yelling him downstairs. Reaching the stairs, she took in yet another deep breath.

"Rick! Dinner!" No reply.

"Don't make me come up there!" More silence. Now fuming, Mom made her way up the stairs while readying her arsenal for a verbal battle. Once upstairs she quickly turned the corner and reached for the doorknob. When she opened it however, she cried out in shock. It wasn't the molten window, nor was it the scorched computer sitting on the desk, but it was Rick's unscathed form lying on the floor that had made her jump. There wasn't a mark on him, yet he lay sprawled out on the ground, staring up at the ceiling with an empty look like no one was home. The rhythmic swelling of his chest assured her that he was still breathing, but it was the only motion he made. He didn't even blink.

* * *

**- II -**

**Author's Note**

How's that for a flashing start, hmm? Just wait, things get even better. This thing will have everything you'd expect from a standard self insert fic. From the teenaged emo angst of the main character (me), to the pointless feud with a random Team Rocket agent after only a single encounter. The thing this fic will have that most don't, is a proper way of weaving this all together into one coherent whole. Again, as I said in the intro, judge after the read, please. It really won't be all that bad, I promise.

… Do you reckon I should throw in the 'invincible OC' cliché too?

All jokes aside, this thing only gets better. It won't be one cliché after the other either. I will try to keep it as realistic as possible, I will try to keep updating it, and I will try to respond to anyone who has anything to share. On that note, I'm bad with names and such, and knowing I might need some later, it would be appreciated if you hit me up with an e-mail with a character. Not saying I'll use them all, or use them exactly as I get them, but see if you can spot them!

* * *

**- III -**

**Legal Gibberish**

I do not in any way own Pokémon or any of its copyrights and rights of other merchandise related to it. All characters and places in this story are entirely fictional and taken from or based on various aspects of the Pokémon universe. Any form of copying and/or misuse of this story by others will be reported. Please respect the imagination and effort made by others. Stealing is bad, don't do it.

WeirdDutchGuy


	2. Chapter I

* * *

**Insert //Name//**

* * *

**- I -**

**Chapter I**

* * *

A loud groan escaped me as I grasped my head with both hands. Not only did I just have the weirdest dream, with me being hit by a lightning bolt at the end of it, but this head ache was killing me. Slowly my senses returned to me and I noticed I was most definitely not on my bed, but more likely on the floor. I opened my eyes to see what was going on and to my great surprise I was looking right at the blue sky above me, despite the fact that I didn't have a skylight in my room. As I tried to sit up straight I felt like I'd been hit by a freight train and resisted the urge to ask the air if someone 'got the license plate of that bus'. Having accomplished the task of sitting up I then decided getting on my feet would have to wait until the dizzy feeling went away and my stomach untwisted itself, so I looked around instead, which did nothing but increase my confusion to unimaginable levels. 

"What the… where the heck am I?" I whispered as I took in the surrounding landscape. It was rocky and slightly mountainous, but it had a fair amount of greenery spread about it. A larger mountain loomed a short distance away. Somehow it seemed familiar, but I was certain we didn't have any hills at all back at home, let alone full blown mountains. I quickly reached the conclusion that, wherever I was, it wasn't anywhere near home, and that I'd have to fend for myself for the time being. A feeling of dread latched onto my stomach, crushing any hopes I had left of it untwisting anytime soon, as I realized that I didn't have any food, shelter, or money with me, reducing my options to either dying or getting ridiculously lucky and stumble across civilization. Despite being quite a pessimist at heart I hoped it would be the latter. After shaking off the dizziness I slowly rose to my feet, checking my body for pains and injuries in the process. Satisfied that all was as well as it could be I randomly picked a direction and started walking, the head ache subsiding a bit with every step I took.

* * *

I had decided to move away from the mountain for no particular reason, but as I walked I grew increasingly curious with regards to the wildlife, or the lack of it, actually. I had expected to come across some cows or goats or something, but so far it seemed like there was nothing here. Come to think of it, I hadn't even seen any birds yet, which was odd in a tranquil place like this. With no real visible human influence I really did expect the place to be cramped with animals. Wandering on, something caught my eye that made me smile. The top of a tower poked out just a bit over the next hilltop, meaning people, and maybe a chance to get home. I broke into a run and rushed through the small valley in between that hill and the one I was on. Suddenly something that looked like a rat dashed out of the grass to my left and disappeared back into the grass on the other side. Though I didn't get a good look in, I could've sworn I saw a flash of purple. But rats weren't purple, were they? Shrugging it off, I continued running until I reached the top of the other hill. Then I froze at the sight of the building before me. It looked terribly familiar, but no matter how I tried I couldn't place it. Even without fully knowing what it was, it looked menacing enough by itself, and I thought it wiser to look for a different shelter. Off to my right I saw a small town, and again I was awestruck. One of the buildings looked like a… but it couldn't be, could it? The big 'P' was a strong hint, but my mind could still not accept it. As I stood speechless a large shadow passed over me, and having recovered enough I risked a glance up and spotted a large brownish bird. Make that a massive bird, as its wingspan must've been at least five or six meters. But it was the shape… so familiar. 

Now thoroughly confused, I made my way into the town and towards the building where I suspected I'd get my answers. Approaching the glass doors I got the first good look at me in the reflection. I was still wearing denim jeans, much like I was before blacking out, I was wearing the same Nike sneakers too, and a similar white T-shirt, but the extra shirt I was wearing had vanished and been replaced with a thicker vest of sort. I sort of liked the new vest, with the long sleeves and the deep blue colour. My darkish blond hair wasn't sticking out in every direction, so I doubted the bolt had done me much physical harm other than the head ache. The doors opened as I got closer and I stepped into the building, walking towards the counter directly opposite of the door. Behind the counter a young woman wearing a nurse outfit was tapping away on a keyboard. The features were unmistakable and just like that all my doubt and confusion were blown aside. Replacing it was shock and denial, as I silently wished someone would wake me up now.

"Oh, you're back? Good, your Pokémon are just about ready, Rick." Nurse Joy said to me after she noticed me. I was back? I'd never been here before, yet she knew my name and I had apparently brought some Pokémon here? As I pondered this the puzzle started to fall into place. I had just healed my line up at the Centre in the game I was playing, and had headed out north to mop up some trainers I skipped, but before I got there that lightning bolt struck. It was fairly far fetched, but it seemed as if my game's save, combined with my body or something, was used to _create_ me in this world. Meaning that this was either very much real, or part of that wacky dream I thought I was having. Whatever was true, I was here, in the Pokémon world, very real, very much alive, and able to feel and touch everything. And with my own set of Pokémon… Awesome…

Somewhere in the back of my mind though, I knew I couldn't stay here. And that brought up a whole new point entirely. How the heck was I supposed to get back in the first place? Should I ask for help? And if so, who in their rightful minds would believe me if I told them? I supposed I could try with professor Oak, but his lab was on the other end of the region, though conveniently close to the route to the Indigo Plateau. It would be only a minor detour, and maybe a valuable life experience. Maybe I could actually be a Pokémon trainer first, and still get back to my own world at the end of it.

It didn't take Nurse Joy long to return with 'my' Pokémon and snap me out of my thoughts. After kindly thanking her and having to promise her to be more careful in the future, I was ready to leave and face the world. Until Joy pointed out that I nearly left without my backpack. So I had a bag, too? Sure enough, in the corner, on a bench, lay a white and blue backpack. Hopefully it had some eatable stuff in it, because unlike the 'me' from the game, I required food to keep me going instead of batteries. And that made me wonder about a whole new matter; cooking. I couldn't cook if my life depended on it, something that might not make much of a difference if I could get to a Pokémon Centre in time, but if I'd be forced to camp outside… The thought of having nothing but cold meals wasn't very appealing, but I wouldn't get anywhere if I refused to live on cold meals once in a while. Unless of course I ran into someone who could cook along the way, but gambling never really favoured me before, so I'd be better off avoiding it. Pondering on this, I paid too little attention to where I was going, ending up bumping into something, or rather someone as a surprised yelp reached my ears. I looked at the source of the sound and found a girl sitting on the floor, though I was sure she was standing earlier.

"I'm sorry, I should've paid better attention to where I was going…" I said while nervously extending my right hand in an offer to help her back up, while my left subconsciously scratched the back of my head in embarrassment. It wasn't everyday that I ran someone down.

"That's ok, I wasn't paying much attention either." She said before reaching for my hand with hers. Just before she reached me though, a big purple silhouette shot forward from _inside_ of her it seemed, making me jump a few feet in surprise, literally. Another quick but loud yelp later I shared her fate and sat on the ground, staring at the floating transparent purple mass in front of me in obvious shock. "_Haunt-haunt-haunt-haunt-haunt!_" It laughed. Or so it seemed anyway.

"Ugh, stop that Haunter! I thought I told you not to spook anymore people!" The girl yelled at the laughing Ghost while pushing the floating head and its unattached hands aside. How she was able to actually push it without falling right through was beyond me, but after my shock subsided I got back up on my feet trying to hold on to as much of my shattered dignity and pride as possible. Well, so far for first impressions. She quickly apologized while shooting another glare at the Ghost type hovering next to her. "Sorry, he tends to do that to strangers. In fact, he tends to do that to everyone." She said, stressing the final part. Haunter just kept laughing.

"It's ok, I deserved it I guess." While I replied I was able to get a better look at her. She appeared to be just about my age, around seventeen or so, but about a head shorter than me, and her light brown hair was just long enough to brush her shoulders. She was wearing jeans, like me, only a tighter fit, and had what looked like a white shirt under a denim jacket, but I wasn't sure if it had sleeves or not. She was certainly not bad looking either, and I silently wondered if she could cook. I suddenly realized I was staring at her, but couldn't help but notice she was doing the same thing. I turned my gaze towards the Haunter, noting that I'd have to catch myself a Gastly in that tower while I was here, seeing as I might not return here for a while after leaving. The Ghost returned my gaze, seemingly sizing me up much like its trainer was doing, and I couldn't help but feel a bit uncomfortable under their scrutiny. What were they sizing me up for anyway?

"Can you cook?" She blurted out suddenly.

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**- II -**

**Author's Note**

Hope you liked that, starts to any of my stories are usually a bit rocky. Sorry there's not much Pokémon in there just yet, but have patience, and it'll be rewarded. If I'm honest, the next chapter won't have any either, but I promise action in chapter three. Now for a request on my side; you're going to press that button that brings up the review window, and you're going to tell me what's wrong with it (if anything is) and what you liked about it, so that I know if I'm doing okay. Okay? Deal.

Chapter two: After waking up in a world filled with Pokémon, Rick bumped into Rose, a girl who is trying to become the very best, but uses only one Pokémon. And if that isn't strange enough, neither of them has even the slightest idea how to cook…

So it's off to the Mart for some Meals-Ready-to-Eat.

* * *

**- III -**

**Legal Gibberish**

I do not in any way own Pokémon or any of its copyrights and rights of other merchandise related to it. All characters and places in this story are entirely fictional and taken from or based on various aspects of the Pokémon universe. Any form of copying and/or misuse of this story by others will be reported. Please respect the imagination and effort made by others. Stealing is bad, don't do it.

WeirdDutchGuy


	3. Chapter II

* * *

**Insert //Name//**

* * *

**- I -**

**Chapter II**

* * *

Ok, let me recap the situation here. Last chapter I told you how, due to some crazy events, I ended up in the realm of Pokémon. It wouldn't get through to me at first, but as the hints continued to pile up before me I had to accept it eventually. But it didn't stop there, because just as I was about to stock up on supplies I literally ran into a girl. As I tried to help her back up her Haunter played a prank on me, and I ended up on the floor as well. A few moments and apologies later we were back on our feet, and because I was looking for a travelling partner anyway I was wondering if she could cook. I was about to ask, but I got… sidetracked. Imagine my surprise when she beat me to the question! 

"Can you cook?" The girl suddenly asked me. I had to resist the strong urge to drop my lower jaw right into the ground then and there, but I was still very much in shock. She stole my line! A few moments of awkward silence passed before she suddenly realized what she just said. "Oh, uh… I guess I'm going too fast, huh. I mean, we don't even know our names yet." I was sure that if we'd been in an actual anime episode she would've been sweating profusely now. She radiated embarrassment, despite the forced smile.

"Well let me fix that, the name's Rick." I said as I extended my hand, transforming her smile into a genuine one while she took it. "Rose." It dawned on me that she had just made the suggestion of trekking together, and though I really was looking for someone to travel with, the way she asked it toned down my excitement. She asked if I could cook, which could only really mean one thing…

"I take it you can't cook then, judging from what you asked me." I more or less stated. The head shake didn't come as much of a surprise to me. "Yeah, that figures. Oh well, shouldn't have expected a miracle anyway." Rose gave me an odd look at this comment, so I explained to her how I was hoping to come across a chef cook before moving to the next town, to avoid having to live on simple sandwiches for days on end. Because I could not cook either.

"Wow, that's exactly what I was hoping for. I've had enough of my bad cooking so I was wondering if someone here that can actually fry an egg without coaling it would tag along with me. As far as I know you are the only other trainer in this town though." I was slightly surprised at this fact. She sounded like she had been here a while now, yet she hadn't seen any other trainers? And here I was thinking this place would be packed. "You _are_ a trainer, right?"

"What?" I blinked, as her question sort of caught me off guard. Then again, her uncertainty was fairly understandable. She hadn't actually seen a trainer here after all, she could just be mistaken again. "I'm a trainer alright, why wouldn't I be?"

"Well for one you don't look like one. And you're a bit old." She said. Right, should've seen the age one coming, even if I didn't understand why someone could be too _old_. What was the common starting age again, ten wasn't it? I felt that little ten year-olds trekking about with backpacks bigger than their own torso wasn't exactly the brightest move, but Rose didn't seem to share my opinion. "Most people stop training before they get to our age, unless they work at a Gym." She clarified after she saw my blank expression.

"You're still training too though, so what's with that?" She visibly tensed up at my question, so I assumed I wouldn't get a straight answer on that one.

"There's ah… a good reason for that." She trailed off as she no doubt tried to find a way around my question. Her age seemed to bother her quite a bit.

"Hey, it's no problem. You're not the only one, remember." I quickly said, deciding to spare her further torture on the age subject. Haunter, who I had nearly forgotten about, suddenly floated back into my view and seemed to be trying to cheer its trainer up a bit. It looked quite powerful, and the fact that Rose was confident enough to let it out of its ball certainly vouched for its loyalty. Gastly was no regular starter, at least not as far as I knew, yet despite that fact the two seemed firmly bonded. The bonds that tie a Pokémon and its trainer are one of the things my games couldn't replicate, I realized, but now that I was here myself I most certainly could. I suddenly wondered what the personalities of my own Pokémon would be, or if they even liked me. We'd never really met before, we'd never been able to bond, or communicate in any way. For all I knew they could hate my guts. Staring at the pocket that held my Pokéballs I wondered about the Charmeleon, Diglett, Pidgeotto, and Butterfree that made up my current line-up. They had been nothing but numbers and figures before, yet from now on they would be real and thinking for themselves. And as corny as it sounded, I just hoped they'd be my friends too.

"Hello, Earth to Rick, are you going to stand there all day, or are we going to get moving?" Rose's comment pulled me from my thoughts, well partially at least, and I mumbled a quick "right" before following her. Luckily for me she was also headed for the Mart, as I had forgotten all about shopping due to my recent thoughts and would've probably followed her even if she was going in the opposite direction. "Since neither of us can cook, I suggest we buy as many instant meals as we can carry and we'll just take turns warming them up." Well, I guessed her mind was set then. It seemed I had found my travelling partner.

* * *

"Well?" The father asked while impatiently circling around the room. He had come home as fast as he could after the news reached him. His wife had phoned an ambulance and they were now in hospital, waiting for the doctor to finish his examination. 

"It appears as if he's in some sort of comatose state, but it doesn't seem to be an actual coma." The doctor mused as he frowned in thought. This case was unusual; he hadn't ever come across anything like this. The young man on the bed was perfectly fine, healthy in all aspects, and there was still _some_ brain activity.

"Meaning what?"

"Meaning that the light's on, but nobody's home. Normally in a coma all brain and body functions cease and machines are needed to keep things going, but even though he doesn't respond to anything, his body is still active. Also, even though the largest part of the brain seems to be inactive, the stem is still sending all the signals it should." The doctor explained patiently. "But… I've never seen this before; I don't know what to make of it. I'll have to get a second opinion of someone more knowledgeable on this."

"You're saying there's nothing we can do?" The doctor shook his head slowly, getting a gasp from the people around him. "Not for the time being, I'm afraid."

* * *

"Whoa, that one looks tasty… And that one… Oh and here another one. Come on Rick, bring the cart over!" I sighed in irritation after Rose had slipped from whatever was holding her back and into a full blown shopping frenzy. This should've been a simple trip to the supermarket to stock up on food, but Rose quickly got caught up in it. The cart looked awfully full as it was, yet Rose seemed intent on buying out the whole shop. 

"Rose, please… can we even afford all this stuff? Who am I kidding, never mind affording it, what about carrying it?!" I groaned as I got called over yet again. This was going to seriously dent what little funds I assumed I had. I did have money, right? Just to be sure I searched my pockets for a wallet, quickly finding one in the pocket I always kept mine in. It even looked the same, but by now nothing could surprise me, or so I thought. When I opened it I was confronted with a vast amount of cash, finding myself dumbstruck on the spot. There must've been thousands of… of… Poké dollars? I wondered what exactly the currency here was.

"We'll just buy the cart too." Came the dry reply to my complaint. "Come on, it's not that much, I just want to be sure we don't starve out there. Besides, with that wad of cash you're holding I don't think money is much of an issue." So now I had been drafted to pay for the stuff too. I guessed I shouldn't mind that much. I did have enough cash… and by the time my mind had formulated a new complaint, we were checking out.

Outside, we split the stuff between the two of us, and I stuffed as much of it in my pack as it could hold. There were lots of instant meals, which is what we set out to buy, but there were also items like Potions and even a few Revive tablets. Not that I'd be needing them, or planned on needing them in any case. As I checked my watch, I realized there was still plenty of time left today. The fact my watch was even there no longer surprised me at all.

"So, what type of Pokémon do you train?" Rose asked while I slung my pack over my shoulder, breaking the silence I hadn't even noticed.

"All of them. Or as many different types as I can carry anyway. My team varies from Fire to Bug and Flying to Ground. I want to be able to counter any type I might run into in some way." I replied, not without pride. From the corner of my eye, I noticed her smirking, probably because she caught it too. Deciding to return the favour I turned slightly and asked her pretty much the same question. "What about you? Ghosts?"

"Sort of. I don't train any type, I train only this Haunter." I was stunned. Well mentally anyway, physically I just kept going straight – be it with a blank look on my face. She only trained Haunter? Yet she'd come this far using only that single Pokémon? I was impressed, even if Ghost types weren't the most common, and counters to them weren't exactly widely known, it was still a very good achievement. I would definitely have to catch a Gastly now. "Watch it, before you bump into something again." Rose's warning snapped me back just in time to dodge the lamppost in front of me. Today just wasn't my day.

"What about badges? Got any yet?" I asked as we got close to the edge of town. She nodded and reached into her pocket, and pulled out two badges. I recognized them as the Thunder and Cascade badges, meaning she'd already challenged and defeated Misty and Surge. And with only Haunter to use. It seemed I would have plenty of expectations to hold up to. "Good, that means I won't have to backtrack just yet." I said while smirking, reaching into my pack to get the carry case I'd seen earlier when I loaded it with food. I opened it to show the same badges I just saw, plus the Boulder badge.

"The Boulder badge, that gym's in Pewter isn't it? Aw man, that's not on the route, is it." I nodded at the first question, and chose not to answer the rhetorical second. I was about to say we would have to go through there eventually in order to reach the Indigo Plateau, but as we walked out of town something more important caught my eye. Well, more important at this time anyway.

"Say, mind if I make a quick visit to that tower over there?" I asked as I pointed to the Lavender Tower.

"That old thing? I thought that was deserted, are you sure? …They say it's haunted." Rose said as she gazed at the structure.

"Exactly." I said as I took in the fearsome features. It looked as it had in the anime, dark and uninviting, with monstrous sculptures along its roof. "That's why I want to go in. It's one of the few places you can actually catch Ghost types in. And I've been trying to find one for a while now."

"Really? Well what are we waiting for then, let's head inside." I stumbled for words as Rose started walking towards the building. I really didn't want her in there, as I was sort of hoping I could use this opportunity to get to know my Pokémon. And I didn't want to cough up the entire story to her just to explain my probable sloppiness in battle. After all, I did have three badges, I shouldn't be sloppy at all.

"Uhm… Actually, I was sort of… I want to go in alone, if you don't mind."

* * *

**- II -**

**Author's Note**

Thus ends chapter two of my epic tale. Not much epic about it now, but come back in a few months and read this again, and I promise you it will… probably not have changed at all… But whatever. It's the upcoming chapters that will be epic. Maybe not the next one, or the one after that, but eventually… /_Cough_/ anyway, still no Pokémon, but this one DID have trace elements of it! And next chapter will have them. Lots and lots too.

Chapter three: Rick goes to catch a Gastly, using his Pokémon for the first time. Going against his wish to go alone, Rose joins him in the Tower of Terror, which turns out to be a good thing, as the ghosts there don't like to be caught in claustrophobic little balls…

* * *

**- III -**

**Legal Gibberish**

I do not in any way own Pokémon or any of its copyrights and rights of other merchandise related to it. All characters and places in this story are entirely fictional and taken from or based on various aspects of the Pokémon universe. Any form of copying and/or misuse of this story by others will be reported. Please respect the imagination and effort made by others. Stealing is bad, don't do it.

WeirdDutchGuy


	4. Chapter III

* * *

**Insert //Name//**

* * *

**- I -**

**Chapter III**

* * *

_  
_Standing before the Tower of Terror, with its menacing horns and monster-like appearance, I couldn't help but feel a bit edgy about it. Sure, it was a nice sunny day, something that certainly helped make it look less threatening, but even the door looked like a monster ready to eat you. I looked back over my shoulder and saw Rose standing there with a somewhat impatient expression that seemed to scream 'get on with it'. And so I gathered my courage and walked up to the door, intent on pushing it open. The problem was, it opened on its own before my hands even reached it. This would've spooked me normally, but I fully expected it, so it wasn't a real shocker. I also expected them to slam shut the moment I stepped inside. And I expected the sudden drop in temperature. Standing in the large hall on the other side of the door, I looked around and spotted the chandelier that knocked Ash out in that one episode. And because I half expected it to drop on me if I went under it, I wisely took a small detour around the centre of the room. I didn't see any ghosts though. 

"Well, looks like I'm off to a great start…" I muttered as I thought about what to do next. They were probably watching me right now, judging from that feeling you always get when you're being stalked. "Hello? Anyone there?" I tried, knowing I wouldn't get an answer. I knew what I was doing was pretty stupid, I didn't know where to go. The windows might as well not have been there, seeing as they were so filthy they blocked any and all light anyway, meaning I couldn't even see much either. Suddenly an idea came to mind, and I started looking for my Pokéballs. If I was going to be in here, it was a nice opportunity to get to know my own Pokémon.

"Right, here goes nothing." I said to the air as I took out one of the balls and pressed the release button. It shot open and a beam of red energy burst out of it, heading towards the floor before starting to take shape. As the features became more clear I recognized it as a Charmeleon, the red fire breathing dinosaur look-alike. It was my starter. Blaze, if I wasn't mistaken. His tail flame spread a comforting warmth in the chilly atmosphere and my visibility got a lot better as it brightened the room. "Hey Blaze, how are you bud?" I asked the creature.

At the mentioning of his name, the Charmeleon's head perked up and he turned around. As his eyes met mine I saw a spark of recognition in them, and he quickly raised his paw, thumb sticking up. _"Char!"_ From the thumb signal, I guessed that meant 'good' and smiled. It looked like things wouldn't be as bad as I'd feared. Blaze seemed to recognize me, meaning the others would too. They wouldn't have any problems accepting me, but I might have a few while getting used to their personalities.

"What do you say we go do some ghost hunting?" I asked again. The Charmeleon tilted his head, as if asking what I meant by it. "This place, building, it's haunted. There should be some Ghost-types hanging around in here. I'm guessing Gastly mostly, with the odd Haunter or two." I clarified, and Blaze nodded in understanding. And gave me another thumb's up. No, things wouldn't be bad at all.

* * *

_  
_I opened another door, and was surprised to find the lights on behind this one. Blaze and I carefully made our way in. We had already searched two floors, finding nothing but empty dark corners, spider webs, and layer upon layer of dust. So far no trace of any ghosts. This room was like most of the others. Dirty windows, high ceiling, and long but not too wide. But this one had more, like light, and a large table. It must've been the dining room. Been, because it was as dusty as the others, and if there had been food on those platters, it had either been eaten by vermin or rotted away. "Hey, anyone in here? Gastly? Haunter maybe?" I tried, but got no reply. 

"Man, this isn't going to work. If they don't show themselves to us, and we have no way of making them visible, how the hell am I supposed to catch one?" I said in despair. Blaze looked glum for a second, then suddenly ran to the table in the centre, where he grabbed the edges of the tablecloth. I didn't quite get it at first, but after he made a tugging motion I got the idea and ran to the other side. "On three?" Blaze nodded at my question, and I firmly gripped the cloth. "Three!" I yelled, and pulled as fast as I could. Blaze pulled on his end at the same time, and the cloth jumped up at the sudden tension, launching dust everywhere. The moment it flew up, I heard coughing noises from the ceiling, and when I looked up it was just in time to see three shapes appear, covered in dust. Two ball-shaped Gastly, and one Haunter.

"Blaze, get ready!" On my command, the Charmeleon took up position in front of me. The ghosts stopped coughing and glared in our direction, sending shivers down my back. They were serious. The Haunter yelled something, and the other two quickly dashed down in front of us. Then suddenly the door behind us slammed shut, and I heard it lock itself clearly. Trapped. Taking use of our short distraction, the Haunter fired a Nightshade attack at Blaze, who tried to dodge at the last moment, but got clipped in the leg. He cried out in shock as he grasped his knee, then looked up angrily before unleashing an Ember at the smirking ghost. Haunter simply faded out and reappeared at ground level, still wearing the smirk. I found myself growling at the display, and tried to calm myself before doing anything rash.

* * *

_  
_"He's been in there for an hour already. How hard can it be? And how long can it take?" Rose complained after checking her watch. Haunter seemed offended at her implication that Ghost-types were an easy catch and pretty much demanded an apology. "Oh shut up, we're going in after him. I'm tired of sitting here doing nothing." With that, she stood up from the fence next to the door and went to push them open. Before she got that far, the doors unlocked and swerved open with a loud creak. 

"… Eh, did that thing just open by itself?" Rose asked as she looked around for anyone inside. Haunter shrugged at the question. "Right, whatever, let's go." She said before walking into the hall. Haunter followed while shaking its head. As soon as both of them were inside the doors slammed shut and made a locking noise. Rose gulped at the sound and turned to Haunter. "I just imagined that… right? Tell me you didn't hear that…"

_"Haunter, haunt…"_ It replied in an obvious 'I told you so' manner. Suddenly, Haunter looked around and fixated on a spot several meters from the door. _"Haunt, haunt haunter."_ It said as it pointed towards the door. Rose looked at the creature in confusion, when suddenly a large shape appeared at the spot Haunter was now frowning at. The shape was circular and roughly the size of a human torso. Around it was a deep purple aura, and the ball itself adorned two eyes and a mouth. It was a Gastly, and it was laughing insanely.

"Oh, so you're the one that's been messing with the door! Don't think that'll keep me in, Haunter is a great lock picker too you know." Rose said, her slight fear evaporated. Gastly just laughed again. It looked like it was having the time of its life, which was probably true since this building rarely got any visitors. Haunter didn't seem to find it funny, but Rose didn't care much and decided to keep going. Rick clearly wasn't here.

* * *

_  
'Right, what to use against these things again? Nothing physical. That leaves Ember. Crap!'_ I thought as my mind raced through the options. My hand clasped around another Pokéball, and I threw it forward to call out my Butterfree. It was three on one, after all. I felt like evening things out a bit. "Blaze, Ember at the Haunter! Caesar, Confusion on the Gastlies!" My Pokémon complied at once, starting the first real battle I ever had. Blaze's Ember missed by a hair as Haunter dashed sideways while charging another Nightshade. Confusion hit one Gastly, making it cry out in pain, but the other had already disappeared. Trusting both my Pokémon would dodge if fired upon, I scanned the 'battlefield' for the missing Gastly, seeing it appear behind Caesar, my Butterfree. "Caesar, behind! Fly up!" Caesar shot upwards without question, making the Gastly's tongue miss completely. Blaze jumped back to dodge the Nightshade, which then went on to hit the attacking Gastly that was now exposed. The ghost was definitely not amused and gave the Haunter a scolding that needed no translation. Both of them were now distracted. 

"Same again, target those two!" Sweat started to trickle down my back as the fight heated up – literally. Blaze's Ember didn't miss its mark this time, and the Haunter got badly scorched as it attempted to block some damage by holding up its hands. The Gastly grunted in pain as a blue aura got a hold of it. Just as I thought I was winning, I realized I forgot the second Gastly, and scanned the room again. I couldn't find it anywhere, so I just assumed it ran. Haunter looked enraged, but also vanished after Blaze ceased his attack. Knowing the other Gastly would too if Caesar let up, I quickly took out an empty ball and tested my aim. I wasn't exactly blessed when it came to throwing, but I actually hit the still Ghost.

The ball sucked up the Gastly in a flash of red, and fell to the floor. I knew this wasn't like the game, but I found myself counting the times it rocked back and forth. Just as I thought it was in the bag, the ball split open and released its captive. Gastly threw some verbal abuse at us before disappearing. "… Ugh, just my luck." I sighed as I walked up and picked up the very empty Pokéball. Suddenly the sound of laughter reached my ears as a third Gastly rose up through the floor. Once it noticed us, it stopped. Its eyes went from me, to the ball in my hand, to the scorch marks all over the room, and then back to me. _"Gast?"_ Suddenly it was engulfed by flames after Blaze decided to torch it. I didn't waste a second and tossed the Pokéball right at it. Again, it engulfed the creature, and again it dropped to the floor. But it hardly rocked at all, as if it didn't even want to come back out. Soon, the blinking stopped. Gastly was caught.

"Wow…" I said as it started to sink in. I really hadn't expected it to be that easy, not after the other one escaped. "Alright!" I cheered, grinning from ear to ear. Caesar and Blaze joined in with their own cries, but it wasn't over just yet. The door flew open, and I quickly turned to it. In the doorway floated a Haunter, but I felt my anxiety leave at the person standing behind it. Rose had followed me in.

"There you are! I've been looking all over the place for you!" She said as she stomped into the room. The floor creaked with every step.

"But I did it. Look." I said, still grinning, as I held up the now occupied ball while walking towards her. The floor creaked with every step.

"Yeah, but you still took…" She trailed off as the creaking got louder, and looked down. I stopped walking immediately, but it was too late. With a loud crack the floor gave way under us, and we plunged down a level, into a pitch dark room. Whatever it was I landed on really didn't give in much, so the landing wasn't exactly soft. Groaning as we picked ourselves up from the floor, I looked up and saw my Pokémon staring down at us. Blaze leapt down after making sure he wouldn't land on either of us, and somewhat lighted the room. As Caesar floated down, I took in the surroundings. It was covered in thick layers of grey dust, and I noticed several objects that were covered with sheets. Probably chairs and cabinets. There was one door, on the other side of the room. "You okay?" Rose asked.

"Yeah… you?"

"I guess so…" That was good, we could all still walk. No broken bones or anything like that. I started towards the door, but you guessed it, it locked itself. _'Not again…'_ I almost cursed under my breath, it was starting to get a bit repetitive. And annoying. But this time, locking doors wasn't all that happened. Suddenly the sheets flew off the furniture, throwing dust all over the place and launching us into an all-out coughing fit. It felt like a strong gust of wind picked up just then, even with no windows or anything else, and the sheets started to fly circles around us, picking up speed quickly. The noise soon got deafeningly loud. "What's going on?!"

"I think they might be pissed I caught one of them!" I yelled out over the howling wind. Rose's Haunter suddenly appeared in front of us, eyes aglow, and the wind died down. As it happened, loads of Gastly and a few Haunter started to appear all around us. "Crap… we're in trouble."

As if it was the starting sign, the ghosts started to attack. It was twenty of them, versus three of ours. How I loved the odds. Blaze dodged some attacks and countered with Ember. He hit one, but in return got hit three times from other directions. Caesar used his speed to dodge everything thrown at him, but he was so busy dodging he couldn't get an attack in himself. Rose's Haunter seemed to have disappeared, and I was getting pretty worried. But then I noticed it popping up all over the field, punching several of the ghosts in quick succession. Just as I thought we might be winning, a new Pokémon appeared. It stood as tall as a human, with a very dark purple colour and a menacing grin plastered on its face. Gengar. The demonic looking Pokémon made quick work of Blaze by using Shadow Ball and firing it right into the Charmeleon's face.

"Relax, it's not that bad, watch." Rose said smiling as I gritted my teeth at the display of power while recalling my fallen starter. "Haunter, use Hypnosis!" Haunter's eyes started to glow at hearing the command, and I could've sworn I saw strange waves coming from them, but it was very unclear. Several of the ghosts fell asleep, but there was still a fair share left. And the Gengar.

"Caesar, give them some Sleep Powder!" I ordered, trying to do my share. The Butterfree nodded and flew up to the ceiling, shaking blue powder from his wings and onto the battlefield. Gengar saw it coming and evaded everything, as did one of the Haunters and four Gastlies. The others fell asleep and dropped through the floor. Gengar's grin had turned upside down, and it was growling lowly before it addressed its friends in a string of 'gen's and 'gar's that made no sense to me. Rose and I waited for what was to follow. The five ghosts nodded at their leader and encircled us. It was pretty easy to predict what would come next, and sure enough, they all started to charge Nightshade attacks a moment later. I wasted no time. "Oh I've had it! Caesar, Whirlwind! Blow them all out of the building!"

"What?! Are you crazy? Creating a twister _inside_?!" Rose asked incredulously. I just smirked at what this would cause. Seeing how I wouldn't budge, Rose turned back to Haunter and quickly yelled an order as Caesar's wings got up to speed. "Quick, Protect!"

The resulting chaos was pretty much exactly what I was expecting to happen. Every dust particle in this room, and the one we fell from above us, got airborne, transforming the place into a grey blur. Anything that wasn't bolted down sort of got airborne, actually. Save us, with Haunter's greenish aura blocking out just enough to stay standing. And 'anything' included Caesar's Sleep Powder, which was still on the floor. When Haunter started to show signs of waning, I decided it was enough and yelled to Caesar to quit the attack. As the dust settled, I noticed some shapes on the floor, either knocked out or asleep. But I only counted five. The sixth was floating in the air not too far away, panting, but otherwise unharmed. Gengar wasn't through yet.

"You're joking…" I groaned as the Pokémon regained its mad grin. Rose's Haunter wasn't in a good shape either. Protect had done a number on it. Caesar was pretty much passed out from exhaustion too. Gengar laughed before charging a Shadow Ball between its paws, or hands, whatever, and seemed to be waiting for something. "Oh, right. You want your friend back, huh." I said, defeated. So I took out the ball and placed it on the ground in front of me. I supposed we had a good run while it lasted, we took out twenty or so Ghost types with just three of us, that had to count for something, right? Gastly's ball opened shortly after I put it down, and the ball shaped ghost took form between us. Gengar said something to it, probably telling it to move away from us, but Gastly stayed where it was. Then it turned to me, and I could see doubt in its eyes. Gengar's eyes narrowed and out came another string of 'gen's and 'gar's, a bit more fiercely this time. Gastly turned back to the large ghost and paused for a moment before starting its own line of 'gast's and 'gastly's. By now Rose and I were stumped at the exchange, and I had no idea what was going on. Gengar looked shocked for a moment, but it soon turned to a sad look and what seemed to be a desperate plea. Gastly shook its head and promptly went back to the Pokéball on the floor and hit the button. I let out a surprised "Huh?" before I even realized it as the ghost got sucked back in. "But…"

"No 'buts' bud, he wants to go with you. Congrats." Rose said as she smiled at me. She probably thought I'd done something good, but what confused me was that I had done absolutely nothing. Actually, Blaze had torched the poor thing before I tossed a ball at it, so why it would want to come with me was beyond me. Gengar seemed to have come to terms with Gastly's decision and pointed us to the door, which unlocked itself. Of course, we didn't waste any time going outside. There I was left to ponder the ghost's motive…

* * *

**  
- II -**

**Author's Note**

Woo, a 3400 plus one! Yeah, uhm, this'll probably be the biggest chapter for the time being. It sort of got out of hand once I started throwing in one thing after the other. I never meant it to be that much longer than the last two. … That said, I can't deny the fact that I like it. :) And I found a way around the stupid line break issue. You see, normally it doesn't allow white lines after a ruler, causing the text to get all bunched up, but I found a way... PM or Review if you want to know.

Chapter four: Strengthened by their victory in the Tower the two travellers set off along the coast to Fuchsia City and its Gym, intent on beating Koga. But not everything goes as they would want, and they end up helping some fellow trainers who have fallen victim to thievery.

* * *

**  
- III -**

**Legal Gibberish**

I do not in any way own Pokémon or any of its copyrights and rights of other merchandise related to it. All characters and places in this story are entirely fictional and taken from or based on various aspects of the Pokémon universe. Any form of copying and/or misuse of this story by others will be reported. Please respect the imagination and effort made by others. Stealing is bad, don't do it.

WeirdDutchGuy


	5. Chapter IV

* * *

**Insert //Name//**

* * *

**- I -**

**Chapter IV**

* * *

_  
_As we walked along the eastern shores of Kanto, a sparkling sea to our left and near endless green grasslands to our right, all I had eye for was the small item in my hand. I fidgeted some more with the red and white ball while I pondered just why the hell Gastly had chosen, freely chosen on his own accord, to go with me. The guy that burned him, hit him in the head, and trapped him in a ball that was about six centimetres across. Actually, it was even less most of the time. I had it enlarged right now. Other than him hating the other ghosts more than me I couldn't think of anything, but judging from Gengar's reaction that wasn't the case either. Was it actually a 'him' at all for that matter? 

Rose snorted. "Would you stop looking at that thing already? Accept the fact you've been accepted and move on." Accept the fact that I had been accepted. Maybe she was right, but it still felt off. "Bring it out and ask then if you don't believe me." She continued as I hadn't truly responded yet. It was a good idea, and I was surprised I hadn't thought of it. And so I raised the ball and hit the release. Moments later, Gastly's surprised face took form and squinted its eyes at the sunlight. No doubt it was wondering why I'd called for it out of battle.

"Right, no sense in stalling. Sorry for dragging you out here like this Gastly, but I need to put something straight here." I said to it while looking for the right words. Gastly looked at me with a blank expression for a moment, as if it was trying to read me. "You do understand that after that stunt you pulled in there you're officially 'mine', right?" It nodded. "Let's get one thing straight: I'm not your 'master' and you're not by any means mine. If you want to leave I'll just have to accept that. Okay?" A small smile formed on Gastly's face, but I didn't know what to make of it. Was it smiling because it liked me, or smiling because it could leave? "So are you sure this is what you want?" I tried carefully. Gastly turned around and seemed to take in its surroundings, as if it was trying to answer that question for itself. I gave it its time, unconsciously following its gaze into the distance. Rose followed the exchange with mild amusement. Then Gastly turned back to me and nodded firmly.

"See? It probably wanted to get out of that place and see the world outside for a change. Isn't that right Gastly?" Rose beamed at the ghost. Gastly agreed, or seemed to agree at least. It was a good enough answer for me. Gastly had not just accepted me as its trainer, but it had pretty much chosen me to be its trainer so that it could travel. And I couldn't help but wonder how long it had been waiting in that tower for a trainer that had the courage to come inside and actually look for a ghost.

"I'm getting tired of having to say 'it'. Boy or girl?" I asked. Gastly turned to me. "Boy?" I asked again, to which Gastly nodded. "Then from now on you're a 'he' and 'him'." I stated resolutely. And so we continued our trek, with me not recalling Gastly to let him take in the stuff he came for.

* * *

_  
_"Magikarp, use Flail!" The cry sounded desperate. But that was because the source of the cry was desperate. The source was a young man with a waterproof overall, rod in hand. Maxim was a fisherman. A Magikarp fisherman. To him angling was a top sport and the largest catches were the only ones he kept. He even trained them so that they got even bigger. Of course, Magikarp weren't exactly the strongest Pokémon in existence so wins were rare to begin with, but he managed to get by fine in most fair battles. It never bothered him much though, because to Maxim battling was nothing but a nice add-on to his normal routine. The same could be said about his opponent today, in a manner of speaking. To the man standing opposite of him, who was smirking at his Fearow while it picked apart the poor fish, battling could also be considered secondary. But today Maxim wasn't battling for fun, nor was his opponent. They were battling for Maxim's Magikarp. All six of them. 

"Fearow, Agility." The man said calmly as his giant bird easily evaded the Magikarp's attack, much to Maxim's despair. The man was clad in a pair of black pants, with black boots underneath. On his torso he wore a grey shirt and over it hung an unzipped black jacket. Embroiled on the jacket were three letters. One on the back, and two smaller ones on either side of the front. All red, all 'R's. This fact alone told Maxim the guy meant business, so he cheered on his Pokémon even louder. Deep down though he knew this was a lost battle. "Drill Peck."

"No! Dive, dive!" Maxim's command was too late. The bird used its agility to zero in on the fish before it got the chance to move and relentlessly pecked it dozens of times in only a few seconds. Magikarp was at the Fearow's mercy. Unfortunately for it, Fearow had no mercy. The last hit sent it flying through the air and the wounded Pokémon landed roughly onto the ground in front of Maxim's feet. "No…"

"What a pity… and I think that was your last one too. I guess that means the fight is mine." The man said in a mocking voice. "And of course, your Pokémon are mine too now." Maxim growled as two of the man's accomplices stepped forward to take his Pokémon. This was Team Rocket at its worst, stealing Pokémon from unfortunate trainers. Maxim was sure he wasn't the first victim of these three. The other two were clad in the normal Team Rocket uniform. Black trousers, black top, black cap, and all with red 'R's embroiled on them. They were obviously there to do the dirty work.

_'Never!'_ Maxim's mind screamed, and with that fuelling him from the inside, his body sprung into action. He bolted forward and snatched his Magikarp up from the ground and quickly turned to run. Just as he started to pick up speed he felt something latch onto him; it was one of the Rockets who had managed to get his grubby little hands on his belt. Maxim's hand shot down, but it was too late. He had to watch helplessly as the belt snapped from his waist and remained in the hands of the random grunt while he himself got away. On his belt were his other five Magikarp, but he couldn't turn back for them now. He could hear the grunt drop to the floor after the sudden release, but the other one was still running for him. Forcing his legs to move faster, Maxim ran like he had never done before, trying his hardest to get as much space between him and his pursuer as possible. He didn't even hear the leader call his grunt back. He just kept going, Magikarp firmly held in his arms.

* * *

_  
_"Team Rocket. No doubt about it. Their uniforms are black." I said after hearing out the young girl sitting on the rock in front of me. Rose and I had made fairly good progress, covering a lot of miles in only a few hours. Then we ran into a sign saying 'Sport fishing area', and we saw this girl sitting there on a rock, staring into space. It was obvious she'd been crying. Rose had kindly asked what was wrong, and the girl had muttered something incomprehensible featuring 'black', 'Pokémon' and 'gone'. After helping her calm down a bit we managed to make out that she was Christine, she was twelve years old, and she'd gotten attacked by three guys in black who took her Nidoran and Pidgey. I had sort of guessed it would be only a matter of time before I'd run into them, and I knew these wouldn't be the bumbling fools from the anime. 

"So what do we do?" Rose asked while eying the girl with sorrow in her eyes. Obviously I'd end up getting dragged over there to fight the bad guys and return the Pokémon regardless of what I answered. Christine stifled her recently restarted sobs and looked at me hopefully. Curse puppy dog eyes. The inventor should be shot.

"Well, we go over there to kick Rocket butt?" I suggested after succumbing to the evil. I felt little for risking my own haves for those of another, but my sense of justice got in my ego's way. Just then, something came running our way from the jetty that provided the fishermen with something to fish from. It was a young man, slightly older than me from what I could see. He was wearing typical fisherman's gear, and panting heavily. Just before he reached us, he tripped over a plank of wood that stuck out slightly more than the others and made a face plant on the dirt. I flinched at the impact and silently wondered if his nose would still be on straight when he got up. Only he didn't get up. "Are you alright?"

"Just… a bit… tired…" He managed to blurt out in between the sharp intakes of air. Slowly he pushed himself up from the ground, wiping dirt from his face and clothes. "Are they… still after me?"

"Who is 'they'?" Rose asked. The man glanced back quickly once before calming down some.

"Team Rocket… They stole my Magikarp." More victims. How many people had they robbed here?

"Where are they?" I heard myself ask. Apparently my sense of duty was getting impatient. The man looked at me like I was mad.

"What, you're not thinking about going in there, are you?" He asked incredulously. I simply nodded. "Well, I think you're crazy… but if you really want to know; they're about a ten minute run from here. If you follow the wharf around the bend over there you'll run right into them."

"I see." I followed the jetty to the bit he was pointing at, seeing it weave left and right a few times to stick to the shoreline, then way in the back I saw the wooden structure make a sharp right turn. What came after the bend was pretty much up for grabs, as a thick patch of shrubberies hid it from view completely. It did look like a nice place to hide, right around that corner and out of sight, perfect for an ambush. I didn't really have a clue what to do now. Going in guns blazing probably wasn't the smartest thing, but it would definitely be a surprise for whoever was out there. And the fact remained we would have to battle them one way or another. I swallowed and started walking while muttering sarcastically. "Anyone care to join me on my final trip?"

"Sure, I wouldn't miss this for the world." Rose smirked as she followed casually.

"You two are nuts…" Maxim sighed as he slumped his shoulders in defeat and started walking. "But I guess I don't have much of a choice if I ever want to see my Magikarp again… Lead the way."

Though I half expected her to get up and follow us, I was relieved Christine stayed put on the rock. No offence to her, but being so small and having no Pokémon didn't exactly mean it would be a good idea for her to harass Team Rocket. Then again, I wasn't too sure how well I would do with my full line up either. But we still had Rose, and Haunter looked ready for just about anything.

* * *

_  
_"Sir! We have more trainers inbound! And that guy with the Magikarp is with them." The addressed man looked up at the hushed shout of the grunt. He hadn't thought the fisherman would be stupid enough to return. In fact, the guy had struck him as mildly intelligent. But it would seem looks could be deceiving. Now he would pay the price. 

"I see. They know we're here by now no doubt. I guess that rules out an ambush. You, go and challenge them, make sure to stall time." The man said calmly to his associate. The grunt nodded and moved out, and the man quickly turned to his other helper. "Help me start that stupid truck."

With that, both men made their way to the dense bushes that kept them from sight and started removing them. Slowly but surely, the smooth surface of metal started to show. Well, it used to be smooth, now it was rusty and looked like it had seen better days. Funding the research department had left other departments a bit short on cash, transport being one of them. This old thing had been a bargain, but getting it started was a major pain in the rear. And then you had to hope it kept going. The glorious days where Team Rocket ruled the streets were gone. Most of the top agents had been hunted down and caught, what was left was a bunch of riffraff and incompetent street thugs. When the Boss quit, the organization had splintered into a cell structure and the money tap had dried up almost completely. They needed a boost.

* * *

**  
- II -**

**Author's Note**

Having to cut off this chapter here wasn't planned. Not at all. But it was getting a bit too long for my liking. I'm okay with long chapters, actually, but having it twice as long as the last one, which was already a fair share longer than the others, felt a bit wrong. I wouldn't be happy with the earlier ones anymore if I did that… Anyway, I hope it wasn't too disappointing to have such a relatively small chapter after the last one. However, the next one will pick up where this one left off. Sort of right into a battle… Sorry for the uneventful and short chapter.

Chapter five: Trying to do the right thing, Rick takes on Team Rocket head to head. But with it being his first real trainer battle and being up against a ruthless foe that would do anything to win, is that really such a clever thing to do?

… A thousand apologies, seriously. It would've been well over twice the size.

* * *

**  
- III -**

**Legal Gibberish**

I do not in any way own Pokémon or any of its copyrights and rights of other merchandise related to it. All characters and places in this story are entirely fictional and taken from or based on various aspects of the Pokémon universe. Any form of copying and/or misuse of this story by others will be reported. Please respect the imagination and effort made by others. Stealing is bad, don't do it.

WeirdDutchGuy

* * *


	6. Chapter V

* * *

**Insert //Name//**

* * *

**- I -**

**Chapter V**

* * *

_  
_As I was thinking about which of my Pokémon I'd use and all the usual battle related stuff, we neared the bend. Suddenly something brown and furry shot out of the shrubs at high speed. I saw it just in time to jump back a bit and it barely missed my legs. I heard an impact to my left and the sound of wood splintering, and when I turned I saw a giant rat chomping away on a piece of railing. I was about to shout at it, but I was cut off by laughter. A man in black walked out from behind the bushes, still chuckling slightly, and stood in front of us with his arms crossed. 

"And where exactly do you think you're going?" He sneered at us. I was tempted to throw in an obvious sarcastic answer, but Rose beat me to it.

"Forward." She stated dryly. The Rocket frowned at her and looked as if he was about to blow up. "What? Dumb question, dumb answer."

"Why you! Raticate, Hyper Fang!" He yelled, to which the rat dropped the wood it was chewing on and launched itself forward towards Rose. I tried to act, but it was going too fast, and Rose herself seemed shocked too. It would have her by the time I even reached my Pokéballs. Just as it was about to clamp onto her leg an orange blur hit it right in the face. Maxim, who was still holding his fish, had tossed his Magikarp right at it the moment the Rocket had shouted the command.

"You guys go on ahead, I'll deal with him." He stated, eyes locked with the Rocket. I resisted the urge to question his sanity and started to round the bend. The Rocket tried block my path, but Gastly suddenly appeared in front of him and Licked him on the kisser. As the ghost laughed hysterically and paralysis kicked in, the Rocket fell to the ground in agony. We watched it with wide open eyes until a loud bang ripped through the air. At first I thought it was a gunshot, but after I ran around the corner I saw what might just be an even more pitiful sight than the squirming Rocket. His boss and a second grunt were trying to bump start a relic from a bygone era.

"I don't even want to know…" I muttered while starting to wonder if I'd overestimated Team Rocket and they really were just as pathetic as Jesse and James after all. No offence to them, they were great comic relief, but this was just bad with a capital B. Or maybe that had to be in full caps.

"I should've known he'd mess things up." The man with the slightly fancier uniform said in an annoyed tone before abandoning their scrapheap. "I guess when you want things done right you have to do them yourself. What do you want? Can't you see we're busy?"

"Busy stealing Pokémon from innocent trainers!" Rose snapped while Haunter hovered behind her. "Now give them back!"

"That's going to be a bit hard. I can't carry them all in one go, but if you insist. The Pokéballs we've taken are in the truck behind me. Beat me in a Pokémon battle and they're all yours. If you lose, I'll take yours. Three on three, no time limit. So how does that sound?"

"You're on." I heard myself say. I knew Rose only had Haunter, and Maxim, well, he only had Magikarp. So me with my five headed line up seemed the most obvious choice. Still, it was only my second real battle. I must've been out of my mind. The Rocket smirked as he reached into a pocket.

"Growlithe, let's show these punks who they're messing with!" He snapped as the puppy Pokémon took form in front of him. It was a lot larger than the average puppies I'd seen, its orange fur bristling as it growled at me ferociously with bared teeth. Growlithe was a Fire type and as my brain processed that information it spit out the answer. My hand searched the right Pokéball and I quickly pressed the release.

"Alright," I started while trying to remember the name I gave my Diglett. The tiny brown mole quickly formed and chirped its name. "Minimum, start things off with Magnitude." I ordered quickly, knowing my Diglett was one of the faster, if not the fastest, Pokémon on my team, and knowing Growlithe was weak against that move.

"So that's how you want to play, huh? Growlithe, use Ember!" The Rocket said, probably knowing running was futile against Magnitude. But it looked like luck wasn't on my side. Magnitude's power varies every time, and this one was particularly weak. Growlithe withstood it easily and in turn sprayed hot embers at Minimum.

"Dig!" I shouted quickly, with my Pokémon responding immediately to my relief. Diglett disappeared under ground and the Ember attack did nothing but scorch the earth a bit. The Rocket snorted in annoyance and I half expected him to call me a coward, but instead he kept quiet.

"Wait for it." He said to the dog, who was starting to glance around frantically. I didn't order anything, since Minimum wouldn't hear me anyway and it would only give away what would come next. I took a gamble and hoped my Pokémon would improvise on its own. Suddenly the ground gave way underneath the Growlithe, who yelped in surprise as the earth swallowed it. The Rocket swore loudly as he realized he made a mistake by telling his Pokémon to stay put where it was. Diglett had abused this by digging a pit underneath the Fire type and having it cave in, trapping it.

"Magnitude again Minimum!" I ordered to take advantage of Growlithe's surprise. This one was a lot more powerful than the last, and Growlithe was in pain. Suddenly a thin red beam sucked it up; the Rocket had recalled it. "Good going, that's one down!"

"I wouldn't celebrate just yet, punk. Drowzee, time to wake up!" I grunted at the Rocket's words. A Psychic type. And a very weird looking one at that, with some sort of small trunk and a lower body that didn't seem to fit the top. "Head butt!"

"Mud slap, quick!" Both Pokémon moved towards each other, Drowzee lowering its head on the approach. Minimum made a quick dash and stopped abruptly, spraying dirt ahead of him due to the momentum. Drowzee who took a nice face full cried out in surprise and stopped its attack to rub its eyes. "Good job, now follow up with Magnitude!"

"Didn't think so, Drowzee use Disable!" Just as my tiny Diglett prepared to shake the earth Drowzee heard its trainer's command and froze Minimum with its psychic powers. "Yes! That's the way to do it! Now, finish it off, Confusion!"

"Minim, move! Use Dig!" I shouted in a desperate attempt to keep my advantage. Diglett were small and agile Pokémon, very fast, but not very great in the stamina department. Minimum tried to move, but the Disable wouldn't budge. Drowzee didn't waste much time and enveloped the tiny mole with its telekinesis and started to up the pressure. I pulled out Minimum's Pokéball and was about to call him back, until he suddenly started glowing brightly. I watched in awe as the tiny thing started changing shape, becoming a bit bigger and seemingly growing two extra heads. The Rocket growled in frustration at the evolution, not that I could blame him. Dugtrio would win now. "Awesome."

"Rats, I can't believe your luck, kid! Never mind, Drowzee, Poison Gas." My eyes widened at the command, but Dugtrio was already gone. I thought he'd be safe under ground, but as Drowzee released the poisonous cloud I saw it stayed low instead of dissipating into the air like I was expecting. In fact, to my surprise it followed Dugtrio down his hole, and as I cursed under my breath I saw why. Drowzee was manipulating the cloud with its psychic abilities. Suddenly Dugtrio surfaced a few meters to my right, and he wasn't looking very well.

"Dang…" I knew I had to finish this one quickly now, or else I might lose Dugtrio. "Right, enough is enough, Magnitude!"

This one was even stronger than the last, and Drowzee just couldn't stay up. It fainted before the Rocket could recall it, meaning I now held a fairly big number advantage. I was still on my first, while he was down to his last. Victory was mine. "I have to admit that you're a potent trainer, despite having such a weak Pokémon. Play time is over, go Fearow!" The Rocket tossed a ball straight up, and as it opened a massive brownish bird took shape in the sky above. I was getting slightly worried now. I had nothing to counter Flying types. And Dugtrio, despite his evolution, still wouldn't stand a chance since he just couldn't hit the Fearow up there. The Rocket's mouth curled up into a smirk, and I knew then he was going to let the poison do its job and wouldn't risk his bird. Defeated, I recalled Dugtrio before the poison sapped too much of his strength.

"Right, come on Mach, let's show him who rules the sky!" I said as I called on my Pidgeotto. It was the closest thing to a counter I could come up with. Mach would actually be able to hit the Fearow and fight it on even grounds; in the air. Mach was smaller than the large Fearow, but if she could just stay clear of the beak and get in some hit-and-run Quick Attacks things would work out.

* * *

_  
_"I want my Pokémon back!" Maxim growled at the Rocket while he was holding the poor paralyzed guy up by the collar. However, the paralyzing effect of Gastly's Lick attack was starting to wear off, and the Rocket was able to actually speak sensibly again. "Now give them to me!" 

"R-Raticate, Tackle!" Maxim's eyes widened in realization, but the small rodent slammed into him before he could act, causing him to stumble backwards and drop the Rocket, who slowly rose back to his feet. "Heheheh… You're in for it now kid, I'm not happy!"

"Bring it!" Maxim glared before turning to the only Magikarp he had left. "Alright number one, get ready and use Tackle!" The Magikarp would no doubt have complied if it was able to, but all it could do was flutter helplessly on the ground at his feet, muttering _'karp, karp, karp'_ over and over. The Rocket lost it completely and nearly laughed himself to death at the pitiful sight. Maxim growled in frustration. "Get in the water you idiot!"

"Raticate, help his friend would you? Slam!" The Rocket chuckled as he wiped the tears from his eyes. However, to his great surprise Magikarp number one actually Splashed itself out of the way of Raticate's tail which then slammed into the wooden jetty. Magikarp landed in the water, and Maxim cheered inwardly before realizing a small problem. Both Raticate and Magikarp were bound to physical attacks, but Magikarp couldn't attack on land, and he doubted the Rocket would risk trying to take him on in the water, despite Raticate's swimming abilities. _'Oh man… This is going to be a very boring match…'_

* * *

_  
_I growled as Mach took another hit. She was trying her very best to keep up with the Fearow, but it just hadn't been good enough. Now she was looking quite beaten up, and I was having trouble letting her go on like this. Still, I had to try. "Mach, Quick Attack!" 

"Again? You don't learn, do you. Fearow, Mirror Move!" Things went exactly as they had before. Mach darted towards Fearow almost faster than my eyes could follow, but Fearow mirrored the move perfectly, using it to dodge the attack and land its own attack on Mach as she passed underneath it. I flinched as they made contact and the Pidgeotto's cry ripped through the air. I spared her the impact with the ground and recalled her before she reached it on the way down. What did that leave me with? Blaze, who wouldn't be able to hit the thing, Caesar, who was at a type disadvantage, and the recently caught Gastly, who I didn't know yet and who could just as well disobey my orders. I frowned as I tried to think of a strategy that would work. The Rocket would probably use Blaze's own attacks against him, use Flying moves on Caesar, … or Pursuit on Gastly. I had completely forgotten about Pursuit. Surely Fearow knew the attack, especially if it knew Mirror Move. That ruled out Gastly. "Well?"

"Take it easy, I'm thinking…" I replied to the impatient Rocket. Suddenly an idea hit me, and I reached for a Pokéball. "Come on Caesar!"

"What?! Rick, what are you doing?! That's a Bug type!" Rose screamed as the Butterfree took form, even though she was right next to me. It seemed I'd forgotten about her as well. I had been told before that I completely cut myself off from the world when reading, but this was insane.

"I know. Just trust me on this one." I said to calm her nerves. Or calm my own nerves; I definitely wasn't sure if this would work.

"You made a big mistake, boy! Fearow, use Peck!" The Rocket shouted, practically able to physically touch his victory. Fearow was just as eager as its master and launched itself forward in a frontal attack. I bided my time with the command I was about to give until it was almost there.

"Now! Confusion!" Caesar responded immediately and hit the Fearow dead in the face with a psychic blast, sending it reeling backwards until it was able to regain control of its own flight. Slightly dazed, it hovered for a moment to shake off the impact. Its master then called for a Mirror Move, something I was expecting, and I countered with Double Team, a TM I knew I had taught it in my game. Soon the sky was filled with Butterfree copies, and Fearow's Confusion passed right through a false one and harmlessly flew off into the distance. "Follow up with Supersonic!"

"Oh no you don't, Fearow use Aerial Ace, now!" The alarm bells in my head went off louder than ever at that command as Fearow suddenly swooped around in a large circle, quickly taking out all the copies it ran into. The real Caesar was only a handful of fakes away when he emitted the supersonic wave, sending the Fearow off course as it hit the invisible wall of sound, causing it to miss by a hair. I didn't hear a thing, and I doubted Fearow did either, but it sure felt the effects. The mighty bird looked fairly sick already, and Caesar wasn't letting up.

"Give up, you can't win now." I said, and meaning it.

"You have to be kidding me!" The Rocket snorted at what he must've thought was a ridiculous suggestion.

"Well, it's about to hit the water." I pointed out, causing him to look up. Fearow let out a wimpy cry before going into a steep dive, aiming directly at the ocean in an impressive spiral. The Rocket cursed loudly as his bird crashed into the water, sending a large splash up into the air. The bird fluttered in the water as it desperately tried to keep its head above the waterline. After a few seconds of this I scowled at the Rocket and snapped at him. "Hey, are you going to recall it or what? You've lost, there's no reason it should drown!" My comment seemed to snap him from whatever he was thinking about and he reluctantly called his Fearow back into its Pokéball.

"This isn't over yet, boy. Mark my words." He snarled at me before turning to his comrade. "Jason, Billy, we're- Where the hell is Jason?!"

Just then a loud scream of terror came from behind us and the third Rocket ran past, roughly pushing me out of the way while babbling incomprehensibly. Soon after a deafening roar followed and a large blue sea monster looking like one of those mythical Chinese dragons swam past in the ocean at tremendous speed. The Gyarados seemed to be after grunt number three, who by now was well on his way to the town in the distance. After a few moments of speechless awe, his boss and the second grunt ran after him, abandoning the antique, Pokéball-laden truck. Maxim suddenly appeared behind us, laughing loudly while pointing at the retreating Team Rocket. His Magikarp must've evolved…

* * *

**  
- II -**

**Author's Note**

And one pointless feud with a Team Rocket member for monsieur/madam. So first contact has been made. Fear the grudge! cough Anyway, I didn't think the battle would be this big. If I had left this chapter as part of the last one it would've been quite a massive chapter. Though I doubt you're all very happy with it, I'm pretty glad to have cut it in two after all.

I'll be updating once more, and then I'm off for four weeks to Spain with some friends. Time for some much needed rest and relaxation. Speaking of R&R, you _are_ allowed to Review after Reading.

Chapter six: Finally reaching Fuchsia City, no time is wasted and Koga is challenged. Rose, using her Haunter, quite easily wins the badge, but when Rick tries to use his new Gastly to exploit its immunity to Koga's poison he realizes his new companion isn't quite ready…

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**  
- III -**

**Legal Gibberish**

I do not in any way own Pokémon or any of its copyrights and rights of other merchandise related to it. All characters and places in this story are entirely fictional and taken from or based on various aspects of the Pokémon universe. Any form of copying and/or misuse of this story by others will be reported. Please respect the imagination and effort made by others. Stealing is bad, don't do it.

WeirdDutchGuy

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	7. Chapter VI

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**Insert //Name//**

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**- I -**

**Chapter VI**

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_  
_"Not bad, eh?" Maxim boasted while petting his new Gyarados. He had just finished telling of his battle with the Rocket grunt. It was boring until Magikarp evolved, bluntly put. After that it was hardly a contest, and the Rocket had to run for his life. Maxim seemingly picked up on my slight sigh and raised an eyebrow. "You didn't think I would win, did you? Well?" 

"If I'm brutally honest…" I started, pausing a bit for the dramatic effect. "If your Magikarp hadn't evolved, you wouldn't have stood a chance."

"I'll take you up on that challenge! … Just as soon as I actually find my other Magikarp."

Maxim raised a valid point. Team Rocket hadn't exactly been careful with the Pokéballs. Of course, they never expected to have to return them, so it kind of made sense that they hadn't cared about which ball belonged to who. The ancient truck was loaded with crates, and in each crate were several dozens of Pokéballs. Just how long had they been out here? I snorted at my thought. Probably as long as it would take us to figure out which were Maxim's.

"No thanks, my own Pokémon are pretty battered. I'd like a visit to Fuchsia's Pokémon Centre first." I said, before an idea hit me while looking at the piece of scrap before us. It would certainly save us a lot of time. "Hey, if we can get that thing started I can drive us there."

"What?" Rose asked as if I were nuts. I couldn't exactly blame her. I mean, the thing did look pretty beat down, I concluded as I circled it once more. True, I had never driven a truck before, or any car for that matter. Let alone one without power-steering and an engine that looked just about ready to blow up in someone's face, if they ever got it started in the first place. The thing's red painted plating was rusted completely through at some places, and as I tugged on the door I felt something give way inside, after which I carefully withdrew my hand before it fell off completely. It swung open with a loud creak, so I guessed I had broken the lock. Now remained the challenge of starting the thing…

* * *

_  
_"You two are so incredibly incompetent it makes me puke!" The Rocket yelled at his subordinates after finally reaching the safety of their safe house in Fuchsia. "All you had to do," He started again, pointing at 'Jason'. "Was beat a single Magikarp, and you couldn't even do that!" Jason looked at his feet in shame while his boss continued after turning to 'Billy'. "And you, you couldn't even start that stupid truck!" 

"But boss," Billy objected. "You couldn't either… And you sort of l-"

"Don't even go there!" The boss roared after being reminded that he didn't really do all that well himself. "Who were those kids anyway?"

"Well, they'll probably be headed to the Gym, right?" Jason said, catching the boss's attention. "So stake out there. They have to state their names and origins for the challenge, right?" The boss replayed that thought in his head once before his frown turned into a dark grin…

* * *

_  
_We only just drove into the city's outskirts when the engine died again, but this was close enough. I jumped off holding Dugtrio's Pokéball and started running. His condition had worsened on the way back, now that the poison slowly started doing its job. 

"You guys go find a police station and show them the truck. I'm taking Minimum to a Centre!" I yelled back as I ran further into the town. It wasn't long though before I realized how stupid I was being. I had no idea where I was going and at this rate I'd run out of time and breath by the time I finally did. I cursed myself under my breath. Why didn't we get antidotes when we were in Lavender? I looked left and right looking for any street sign that could give me a clue, and I didn't notice the man until I nearly hit him.

"Careful boy, where is the fire?" He asked after stopping me. I briefly looked up and saw a hard face lined by greying spiky hair. He grunted after I explained why I was in such a rush, and as I made to take off again he stopped me. "Show me your Dugtrio."

Hesitantly I reached for Dugtrio's Pokéball, not even knowing why I was listening to this man. Wouldn't letting him out speed up the poison's work? I shook off the thought as I pressed the release, causing the ball to split open and reveal a very sick looking mole. Dugtrio looked seriously ill; I had no idea it would go this fast. Kneeling down I placed my hand on one of the heads as I stumbled for words. I was definitely worried now, with the heat radiating off Dugtrio's body, and only just kept myself from cursing out loud about wasting time here. Surprisingly the man knelt down beside me and placed his own hand on another head only a second later and presented Dugtrio with some sort of herb-like plant.

"Chew on this. It's a natural cure." He spoke softly, and Dugtrio weakly took the plant. The effect didn't take very long to show, as barely half a minute later I could tell his temperature had gone down some. I breathed a sigh of relief and turned to thank the man, but he had already gotten up and was about to start walking. "The Pokémon Centre is up on that hill overseeing the town, right next to the Gym. Until we meet again."

I stood up, watching him turn a corner and disappear. I recalled Dugtrio with a faint smile on my face and started running for the hill the man had pointed to. Houses shooting past me in a blur, I reached the Centre quickly now that I knew where to look. As I walked through the door I was greeted by… "Rose? How did you… You beat me here?" She smirked and called me a Slowpoke…

* * *

_  
_"Dugtrio is going to be just fine, but he's going to need some rest. You should keep him out of battle for a day or two. And next time, be more careful." Nurse Joy told me after taking care of Dugtrio. I said my thanks, promised to be more careful, and walked out the door. As the man had said, the Centre was located on a small hill, and the view of the city was pretty nice from up here. I caught a glimpse of what looked like a zoo in the distance and made a mental note to go see that before we left again. Rose, who had been waiting outside, abandoned her spot against the wall and looked at a fairly large building a few meters away. It was oriental, with some writing on it I assumed was Japanese. The man had said the Gym was right next to the Centre, so I walked towards it. 

"I think this is the Gym, Rose." I said, fairly impressed with the looks of the thing. It was a carbon copy of those houses you'd see in one of those ninja movies on TV. Thinking back to my game, I remembered Koga's Gym had some surprises for the challenger. You didn't just walk up to him, but you had to go through some sort of maze of invisible walls and trainers. And as I thought of that I wondered what it would be like now.

"Are you coming in?" Rose asked from the doorstep after sliding the door open, throwing me off my thought train. I took one last nervous look at the Gym before stepping through the door. If only I hadn't missed that episode where Ash went to fight Koga, maybe then I'd have an idea of what I was getting into.

"Careful," I whispered. "there could be traps in here."

"Oh please, that would be lame. And why are you whispering?" Rose said as she laughed my comment away. "Nobody would trap a Gy-AH!" Rose sudden cry of surprise made me spin around, and I had trouble to keep myself from laughing at the sight. The place was trapped alright, and she'd fallen for one. "Quit laughing and get me down from here!"

I decided it was best to do so, and I quickly lowered the net back to the ground. As I looked at the floor I noticed shallow carvings in the wood, in the pattern of the net. That was why we didn't see it… Rose was not happy at getting netted. Either that, or she wasn't happy at me being right. In any case, she turned around with a dark cloud over her head and kept walking down the corridor while muttering something about smart-ass Gym leaders. I shook my head as I followed her with a chuckle. However, when I reached the corner, the lights went off. And after a few more minutes of walking I got the distinct feeling we were walking in circles. I looked down at the floor again, but couldn't see anything because it was dark. As Rose walked on, I reached down and ran my hand across the surface. I felt carvings. Suddenly Rose stopped and motioned me over.

"Look over there… Is that light coming through the wall?" I looked at the wall she pointed at and- there _was_ light coming from the wall. If our corridor hadn't been so dark I wouldn't have seen it. There was some coming from underneath it, and some shining through a small slit, barely visible, as if there was a door. This Gym didn't have invisible walls, but invisible doors. Slightly less original, but no less annoying. I knocked on the 'wall' just to make sure, and it did sound as if it wasn't very thick and had a big open space behind it.

"I was wondering when you'd figure it out!" A voice suddenly shouted from behind the wall. I heard a clicking sound and the wall slid away, revealing a big room. The walls of this one looked like they were made of concrete instead of wood, and… there was no ceiling? This was some sort of courtyard! I continued my quick scan and noticed a battlefield painted on the floor, and standing at the far end of it was the man who helped me earlier with Dugtrio.

"That's what he meant by 'until we meet again'." I muttered as I looked at Koga. He just smirked back at me, until he noticed Rose, who was still pretty pissed. His smile faltered slightly as Rose stomped forward.

"You're the Gym leader? Good! I, Rose of Saffron City, challenge you for your badge!" She yelled. I wisely stepped back a few paces and took up position next to the door. Just in case she brought the Gym down.

"So be it. The rules are simple. Each will use three Pokémon, and the first to knock out all three of the opponent's Pokémon wins. You may switch yours out, but I may not. Do you understand?" Koga said, carefully.

"I understand," Rose started, after which Koga attempted to speak again but Rose cut into him. "But I only have Haunter, so my choice is obvious." Haunter floated onto the battlefield at the remark, and gave a slight nod of respect to the gym leader.

"I see. Well, I would hate to be unfair, so let's make it a one on one." I smirked at Koga's response; he was such a sucker when it came to doing the honourable thing. It would probably cost him this match as he ran a Poison type Gym, last I checked, and Haunter had a severe type advantage in that case, even to the point of rendering Koga's special attack move Toxic useless. Rose had it in the bag. Koga kept a calm demeanour though, unfazed by his opponent. "Now, Venomoth!" Well, at least he wouldn't be holding back, I thought as the giant purple moth Pokémon took form in a bright flash. I seriously needed to get some sunglasses; I would not get used to that. "There will be no time limit. We fight until one caves or forfeits. Begin!"

"Haunter, start off with Nightshade!" Rose called, and Haunter complied by charging its disembodied hands with black energy and releasing it at the Venomoth. Koga ordered a Psybeam immediately and the two attacks collided in the centre of the Gym, causing a small explosion. And that started off their battle. "Again!" Rose ordered.

"Disable!" Venomoth's counter froze Haunter in its tracks, and it was having visible trouble breaking the psychic hold. Until Rose called for Hypnosis and Venomoth had to let go to avoid direct eye contact. The moth fluttered up beyond the roof of the Gym, waiting for an order, and Haunter exploited this by blending into the shadows. "Use Foresight to track it, Venomoth!"

"Haunter quick, Confuse Ray!" Venomoth had just started scanning the room with its Foresight when an ominous ball of light was launched at its back from the farthest corner. Koga quickly had it dive down causing it to miss the first pass, but the Ray made a second attempt as Haunter, eyes aglow, steered it back to its target with a flick of its non-existent wrist.

"Psybeam!" Koga called just as the Ray was about to hit. Venomoth's Psybeam obliterated the attack, but after it finished Haunter was nowhere to be found. I looked around the room trying to spot the Ghost, but it was well hidden. Rose would no doubt exploit this.

"Use Shadow Punch, and make it count!" She said moments later. Suddenly multiple ghostly fists shot from the ground below and pummelled the poor moth into submission. "Now Lick!" Rose quickly added. Haunter slowly rose from the ground directly in front of the tired bug and promptly slammed the flat top of its tongue into it. As several sweat drops rolled down both Koga and Venomoth's heads Haunter moved its tongue upwards, licking the moth's entire front. It didn't take long for the paralysis to kick in this time either, and the moth dropped to the floor an instant later, shaking like a leaf as it tried to overcome its complete neural shutdown.

"A well fought battle. I must commend you, young lady, you have earned your Soul badge." Koga withdrew his fallen bug and crossed the field, extending his right hand to Rose, who shook it and gratefully took the badge from the palm of his left. He then looked at me, sizing me up with his cold stare. "I suppose you are next?"

"I am. Rick from Lavender Town, to cover formalities. And I have more than enough Pokémon, even without Dugtrio." I said, taking my spot on the field.

"Ah yes, I watched you bring him in. Give it a few days and he'll be fine." He smiled, before his face tightened up again. "But now, we will do battle. As said before, three Pokémon each in single battles. You may switch, I may not. As I am the defending party I shall pick first."

Koga took out a Pokéball and brought out a purple fur ball; Venonat, a half Bug, half Poison type. My fingers searched out Blaze's Pokéball and unclipped it from my belt. Even if Rose had just knocked out one of his strongest, if not the strongest of his Pokémon, I wasn't about to underestimate him. "Let's go Blaze." I said before tossing the ball into the field. The red lizard appeared moments after, looking ready.

"There is no time limit. We fight until one caves or forfeits, begin!"

"Blaze, Flamethrower!" I yelled, hoping for a quick ending. Blaze complied immediately and shot an intense tongue of flames at the small fur ball, but its reaction speed proved to be faster than I thought. Venonat dodged to the side and the attack missed. I was stunned.

"Venonat, use Sleep Powder!" Koga ordered, shaking me from my shock. Venonat started shaking wildly, sending blue powder flying into the air. I quickly ordered Blaze to use another Flamethrower and torch the stuff before it got to him. He got a good deal of it, but some of it still lingered and he was slightly dazed. "Now, Tackle him!"

"Snap out of it Blaze, shake it off!" Blaze shook his head a few times, but by the time he cleared it Venonat slammed its tiny body into him. Grunting at the impact, Blaze responded quickly by grabbing the little thing with his claws and smirked at his captive. My own expression quickly mimicked his as I was about to give him the order to torch it, but I changed my mind as I watched the thing wiggle desperately in Blaze's grip. "Koga, I suggest you withdraw Venonat. I want to win, but I don't want to injure it badly."

"As I said, we fight until either Pokémon faints, or one of us gives up. I have no intention of giving up. Venonat, Psybeam!" Koga replied gruffly. Well in that case, who was I to disappoint?.

"Slam it Blaze!" Venonat's eyes were starting to glow as it prepared to fire, but Blaze responded by throwing it slightly upwards, surprising it, and slamming his tail into it – but not before pumping up his tail flame a bit, of course. The small Bug let out a cry on every impact with the floor while it bounced across the battlefield. "Now another Flamethrower!" Blaze once again breathed fire at the fur ball, which was lying face down on the Gym floor. He didn't miss, and Venonat was out.

* * *

**  
- II -**

**Author's Note**

Alright, that's chapter six out for you. Progress on chapter seven is, as of yet, slow. But fear not, Insert will continue, as soon as I return from my 4 week trip to Spain. Until then I must say goodbye. I hope to find a pile of reviews when I return (nudge nudge, wink wink).

Chapter seven: The battle with Koga intensifies and comes to an anticlimactic end. While Rick is waiting for his Pokémon to recover, he and Rose decide to visit the Safari zone, intent on seeing some rare Pokémon. The visit turns out to be slightly more exciting than expected…

* * *

**  
- III -**

**Legal Gibberish**

I do not in any way own Pokémon or any of its copyrights and rights of other merchandise related to it. All characters and places in this story are entirely fictional and taken from or based on various aspects of the Pokémon universe. Any form of copying and/or misuse of this story by others will be reported. Please respect the imagination and effort made by others. Stealing is bad, don't do it.

WeirdDutchGuy

* * *


	8. Chapter VII

**Insert [Name]**

**- SAN -**

**Supplemental Author's Note**

Thanks to a reviewer it has come to my attention that this chapter lacked quotation marks, apostrophes and hyphens. This has been fixed and so this has been re-uploaded. Go thank **Siran 774**. If you notice any other errors, like _its-es_ that need to be _it's-es_, let me know.

**- I -**

**Chapter VII**

**********

"Humph," Koga grunted as he recalled his fallen Venonat. After putting the Pokéball away his hand came back with another, which he promptly threw into the air. "Let's see you do that with my next Pokémon. Koffing!" As Koga mentioned the name, Koffing took form. A large floating ball with a blue-purple colour, and several holes spread across its body. I knew what those were for even if I ignored the large white poison sign on the Pokémon's front. The holes were there to spew out the toxic gas that Koffing held inside, and as a pure Poison type the only thing I really had against it was Caesar's Confusion. But I would try first with Blaze, since I might need Caesar for his third.

"Blaze, try another Flamethrower!" The Charmeleon dashed forward and released another stream of fire from his mouth. But it was too slow; Koffing dodged with amazing ease, keeping its dumb grin plastered on its body. "Alright, if Flamethrower is too slow, well have to try and get physical. Use Metal Claw!"

"Hah! As if that would help. Koffing, fly up!" Koga smirked as Koffing shot up and Blaze shot under. Putting on the brakes, Blaze stopped and twirled around, growling in annoyance at his now unreachable opponent hovering just under where the roof would've been. Koga was no doubt trying to slow the battle down, to wear Blaze out and strike when he lost focus. I had to think of a way to get the purple ball down, but my mind drew a blank. Just then, Koga tried to take back the initiative. "Use Smog, Koffing! Suffocate him!"

When Koga called his command something clicked in my head. Since Blaze had no wings, Smog would give him serious trouble, but Koga just made a mistake. Smog wasn't just poisonous; if my memory served me right it was also highly flammable. James' Koffing got blown up repeatedly because of it. "Blaze!" I shouted to get his attention. Then I waited for Koffing to start its attack. "Now, use Flamethrower on the smoke!"

Moments later, the Gym seemed to explode. As did my eardrums. The blast wasnt big, but the force was strong enough to knock me down anyway. After I regained my senses I could hear Rose coughing behind me because of all the dust it threw up. Looking ahead I spotted Blaze picking himself up from the floor, with a fair share of bruises, but otherwise alright. It dawned on me that causing an explosion inside a building was, well, just as mad as creating a twister inside a building. Thankfully this part had no roof, or it would've surely went flying. Suddenly I wondered if... "Oh man, I didn't kill it, right?!"

"No, but he will not be fighting anymore today." Koga said as he recalled a severely charred Koffing. "After all, he knows how to Selfdestruct. Koffing can take a bit of a beating." Koga smiled for a second before putting his game face on once again. "You got lucky twice, due to... unfortunate circumstances. But this time, you will not win so easily. Come out, Weezing!"

**********

"Ow! That smarts!" A voice hissed.

"Stop squirming then!" A second voice replied.

"Shut up you two! Billy, stop moaning, Jason, what do you see?"

"That guy just downed Koffing, and Koga just called out his Weezing... But it looks like hell be losing another badge today." The second voice answered. The third speaker grunted, but made no further comments.

"C-can you get off my shoulders now?! My backs about to buckle!" The first one lamented...

**********

"Weezing, use Smokescreen!" The large floating triplet of Koffing opened its mouths and really poured out the smoke. In seconds the whole Gym was covered, and besides constantly coughing, no one could see a blasted thing either. I frantically and futilely waved my hand in front of my face to clear out the smoke while I tried to spot what was going on. "Now, Tackle him!"

Almost instantly after Koga ordered it, I heard a sharp slamming noise, followed shortly by a dull impact. "Blaze!" I shouted, hoping for a reply. None came. I swallowed a curse as I took out his Pokéball and waited for the smoke to clear. Like I had expected, Blaze lay knocked out on the Gym floor. The explosion in the battle with Koffing had done more of a number on him than I thought, and Weezing's tackle no doubt came as a surprise. Two more chances at knocking out a single Pokémon. "Well fought Blaze. Rest up for a while." I said as I returned Blaze to his Pokéball. After a short pause I decided I could risk Caesar, and pulled out his Pokéball. Somehow I felt slightly disappointed he didn't get to face Venomoth, but I quickly set that thought aside and pressed the release. Moments later, the butterfly Pokémon fluttered above the battlefield, studying his opponent. "Alright Caesar, time to bring in another badge!"

"Hah, you are far too overconfident. As you just saw, Weezing is no pushover. It will be hard if not impossible for you to defeat him, even if your Butterfree knows Psychic attacks." Koga boasted as he sized up Caesar. He had no idea what the little bug was capable of.

"We'll see! Caesar, start things off with Double Team!" I said, watching as dozens of Butterfree suddenly filled the Gym. But Koga was not to be outdone, and ordered another Smokescreen just as I was planning to exploit the opportunity. "Crud. Blow it away with Gust, quick!"

"Weezing, use Sludge now that it's stationary!" Koga's order came the moment Caesar stopped to attack and I mentally kicked myself for falling for his trick, but it was too late to stop it now. I squeezed my fists as the sticky sludge threw Caesar down on the ground. The bad part was that the stuff made it impossible for him to fly, and so completely immobilized him. This was definitely _not_ what I had in mind.

"Crap..." I muttered as I struggled to think of a solution while Caesar fluttered his wings futilely. I couldn't find one. So, flying was out of the question, and the Butterfree definitely wasn't made for walking either. Which left me with Psybeam and Confusion.

"Now, Tackle while it's down!" Weezing charged at Koga's command, and for a moment I regained hope. A frontal attack like that would leave it wide open to a full dose of Psybeam. I thought Koga would know better, but I wasn't going to complain.

"Psybeam, full power!" I shouted at the last second. Caesar's eyes glowed brightly before a multicoloured beam shot out. Weezing was too close to dodge, and slammed into the attack face first. Well, one of its faces first, anyway. "Yes!" I cheered as a purple blur was shot back and bounced off a wall before landing hard on the ground. Caesar panted in exhaustion, having used all his strength in one big attack.

"Hold on!" Koga said as I was about to recall the Butterfree. "The match is not over." Slowly, Weezing floated back up from the floor, looking quite roughed up but strangely unbothered by it. "Weezing, Sludge!" As his Pokémon took in a deep breath of air, Koga's ploy became clear to me. He had intentionally let Weezing get hit in order to drain Caesar's psychic power. The little Pokémon was now too tired to use another one so quickly, meaning it was defenceless. I couldn't bare to see him get hit in this condition, and I recalled him before Weezing fired. Koga smiled.

Now I was back to square one. And I didn't have a lot of options left this time either. I couldn't use Minimum, on Nurse Joy's orders, and that left me with Mach and the newly caught Gastly. Mach would probably- _Oh crap._ I thought as I slapped myself in the face. I completely forgot about the beating she took. I didn't even have Nurse Joy look at her! Well, on the bright side, Gastly would be completely immune to any Poison attacks.

"Alright, I know it's been less than twenty-four hours since we met, but it looks like I need some help." I said as I searched my pocket for Gastly's Pokéball. "Come on Gastly, let's see what you've got!" With that, I tossed the ball up to the battlefield. But nothing happened...

Several seconds passed as all of us blinked our eyes, waiting. Then I remembered. I never returned Gastly after letting him out on the way here. In fact, I hadn't seen him since he Licked that Rocket. But didn't Pokéballs have limited range? Surely he couldn't just fly off!

"Erm, where exactly is your Pokémon?" Koga asked as I started looking around the Gym, desperately trying to spot the ghost. Coming up empty, I finally turned to Koga to explain, but when I looked at him all I managed was stare, mouth agape. His head was round, about three times as big, cross-eyed and he was touching his nose with his extraordinarily large tongue. "Well?" He asked, not moving a muscle and seemingly oblivious.

"Alright Gastly, knock it off." I grunted after finding my voice. Koga raised an eyebrow at first, but backed up in surprise when a laughing Gastly suddenly appeared in front of his face. "You're a bit of a prankster, aren't you."

"You can say that again." Rose smirked. "I think he's the one that was playing with the door back at the Tower, too."

"Really? Well, at least he doesn't mean any harm with his pranks. That's more than can be said of his friends." I sighed.

"Ahem!" Koga coughed. "I _do_ believe we were about to battle."

That got Gastly's attention. He looked at me with a quizzical expression that begged for an explanation. Another stupid mistake. I hadn't talked to him about anything other than what his gender was. He probably had no idea when we set off that battling would be part of his resume. _Ugh, great way to make yourself look stupid there!_

"Right Gastly, are you ready?" I asked hopefully, even though I had that sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach that something was about to go very, very wrong. Gastly stared at me for a bit longer, then smiled suddenly and reappeared in front of me, facing Weezing. Was he going to fight?

"Good, now then, we'll begin." Koga said as he threw his hand up. "Weezing, erm..." He trailed off. That's right, what to use on something immune to poison _and_ physical attacks! It covered all attack methods Weezing had! I felt a grin creep on my face as I called to Gastly.

"Gastly, use Nightshade!"

Nothing.

"Eh, Gastly?" I tried again. Gastly turned around with a bored expression and yawned. Koga and Rose just watched with stunned expressions.

"Is is that thing _mocking_ us?!" Koga stammered. Weezing looked pretty miffed itself and suddenly fired a massive amount of Sludge at Gastly, who now had his back turned. The ghost shot up without looking and dodged the attack with no real effort but then I realised it was heading for me next! I managed to suppress an outburst of anger after barely dodging the attack.

"Alright, I know you're probably a bit pissed off that I dragged you out here to fight, but can you please help me win this one?" I asked but Gastly's only response was silently staring at me from above. "I'll treat you to whatever it is you eat?" I tried again. Koga was starting to look quite impatient by now.

"Is your Pokémon going to follow an order today, or can I declare this a forfeit?" He spoke sternly. Suddenly Gastly appeared in front of my face and I found myself unable to move as he showed me images from the early morning, where Blaze torched him before his capture, and how he'd been flying around all day. And how he'd helped Maxim's Magikarp? I had to blink a few times before that sank in.

Then suddenly I found myself staring at an empty plate floating in the air.

"Oh, that's right. Ghosts don't eat, silly me." I chuckled as I lowered my head and knelt to pick up Gastly's Pokéball. "Sorry," I muttered at the ghost, "my bad." Then I called him back. Needless to say, this triggered a few surprised reactions. Rather than stay and explain my reasons, I just thanked Koga for the nice battle and walked out.

**********

"So, are you going to tell me what that was about?" Rose asked, probably out of genuine interest, and she didn't even sound peeved or disappointed. I glanced back at her for a moment as I tried to answer that question for myself. In the end I decided to at least not ignore it.

"Nah," I said. "I'm more worried about what _you_'re going to do." This seemed to catch her off-guard, which pretty much answered my question all by itself, but I explained anyway. "Since I lost, I'm stuck here for at least another day, maybe more, waiting for my Pokémon to recover. But since you won, that slows you down. Don't know if you're in a hurry, but..." I trailed.

"Aw, worried that I'll leave you?" She said sweetly... but even though I wasn't looking, I could _feel_ her smirk. "Don't worry, I'm not in a rush. We can go check out the Safari Zone while you wait. They have lots of rare Pokémon; it'll be a great filler."

And so, unknowingly, she was following what had been my plan all along. Except my plan hadn't included the losing to Koga bit. After dumping my Pokémon into the care of Nurse Joy - this time making sure to give all of them - we booked ourselves rooms for the night. As I received my key and made my way to my room, I congratulated myself on keeping my disappointment a well-kept secret... until I got inside.

**********

"Man, what a farce. I'm even a failure in my dreams." I growled before I punched the wall of my room to try and vent some pent up aggression. "Aah!" I swallowed what was left of the shout as I grasped my hand. They always punched walls in cartoons, but apparently doing so for real was a bad idea. That hurt. I suddenly stared at my hand in amazement. _Pain..._ And it felt very real indeed.

Opening and closing my hand a few times as the pain subsided, I started wondering why I was still here. This was lasting way longer than any dream should've, or at least longer than any dream I ever had before. Shouldn't I have woken up by now? I had gone along with it until now, but it had been almost twenty-four hours since I woke up in this place. And I knew I didn't normally sleep _that_ long. But then, in dreams time could be relative, right? Maybe it passed faster here. Maybe it had only been a few minutes of sleep. Stranger things happened in dreams. _Or maybe this isn't a dream at all..._

But thinking that was silly, right?

I let myself fall down on the bed and stared at the ceiling as I moved my arms under my head. I was about to sleep in my sleep. Could it get any weirder than that? Was that even possible at all? Maybe I wasn't sleeping. Maybe I was in a coma or something. I _did_ get knocked out by lightning before waking up here. Maybe the electric charge messed with my head. The brain works with electric charges too, after all. Maybe, maybe, maybe... _I really have to stop thinking this way or I'll go insane! Come on, random thought change, go! Think Safari Zone!_

Yeah, tomorrow we were going to visit the Safari Zone, and that meant walking lots again while my Pokémon recovered from today's battle. I needed my rest now - and maybe I'd figure out all this dreaming crap in the morning. With that settled, I sighed once as I closed my eyes, then turned on my side in an attempt to sleep.

And that's when I remembered I had left the lights on.

_Damn it..._

**********

**- II -**

**Authors Note**

HAI GAIS! I just thought I'd drop in again real quick to see if things are alright out there. I actually promised this update sometime last year, I think, but yeah. Stuff happened, people died, I lost my drive. So why am I writing now? Because I'm sick with worry and I'm desperately trying to get my mind off the shot I'm supposed to get within the next 90 minutes. Why does 90 minutes make it sound so much closer than one-and-a-half hours?

Oh, and erm, see if you can find the quick fix. There's cookies in it for anyone that notices what I just straight-out forgot up until now.

OMG it is leaving in my own formatting!! o.O *rubs eyes* It's STILL THERE!! ... *suddenly believes in miracles* Oh crap, that means I have to go through all the previous entries and change their formatting back to the original one! More work!

Chapter eight: The Safari Zone can be a dangerous place. In more ways than one... OH GOD IT'S A LION, EVERYONE, GET IN THE... Oh CRAP, we don't HAVE a car!! Is this the end?!

**********

**- III -**

**Legal Gibberish**

I do not in any way own Pokémon or any of its copyrights and rights of other merchandise related to it. All characters and places in this story are entirely fictional and taken from or based on various aspects of the Pokémon universe. Any form of copying and/or misuse of this story by others will be reported. Please respect the imagination and effort made by others. Stealing is bad, don't do it.

WeirdDutchGuy


	9. Chapter VIII

**Insert [Name]**

**- I -**

**Chapter VIII**

**********

The sun had just peeked over the horizon. I knew this because I had also forgotten to close the curtains, thus getting awakened by a surprise Solar Beam attack on my face. Well, a beam of sunlight anyway. I glanced at the clock I'd only just realised was there. 5:44 AM. I had wanted to get more sleep, but apparently that wasn't meant to be. Before I could complain about this though, I also realised this was not my room. So was I still dreaming? A quick check confirmed there were still Pokéballs in my pocket. Grand.

I gave up stifling a yawn and waited for my jaws to realign before I rolled out of bed. If I was going to be stuck here, awake at six in the morning, I might as well go do something. Waking Rose was out of the question, partly because I'd rather respect her privacy and partly because I didn't even want to know how she'd react to it, so I decided I could think of a way to wake up or otherwise get out of this mess instead. And so, I proceeded to gather my stuff, which wasn't hard because I hadn't actually used any of it, and made my way downstairs into the lobby.

After being greeted by Nurse Joy, I slouched down at a table and started thinking. This lasted about two seconds before I made up my mind and stood back up. On the off chance that this was not just some wacky dream, it was time for me to start thinking about a way out. There was really only one person in this world whom I might know well enough – indirectly or not – to trust with that, and even though it wouldn't exactly be his field he _was_ pretty clever, so he might at the very least be able to point me in the right direction. And so, on a whim, I walked back over to Nurse Joy and politely asked for a glass of water – which I felt I'd need soon – and the most secluded phone in the building.

As it turned out, the only phones were in the lobby so I was flat out of luck as far as secrecy went. Well, at least the only other person in the lobby right now was Nurse Joy, and if I picked the last phone then maybe she wouldn't hear. I got there pretty quick and was faced with my next problem. Where's number information when you need it most?

"Hello, operator? I have a strange request…" I started carefully. I had drunk all the water before the phone even started ringing…

**********

_*BEEP BEEP BEEP* PHONECALL, PHONECALL…_ the mechanical voice went. A brown haired young man wearing a lab coat walked over to the ringing videophone and pressed a button.

"Oak research lab, what is it?" he asked, not really caring to look who was on the other end.

"_Hi to you too. Erm… could I speak to professor Oak, please?"_ a male voice replied. Gary finally took the bother of looking at the screen and quickly frowned.

"Sorry, we don't have time for fan calls," he said. "Some of us have work to do. How'd you get this number?"

"_Begging the operator. Please, it's pretty important. __I just need to talk to professor Oak for a few minutes. I swear it'll be worth the time!"_

"Which professor Oak?" Gary grumbled, now visibly annoyed. The guy on the other end seemed a bit taken aback by this, but apparently he wasn't ready to give up yet. Stupid fan boys, didn't this punk realise he recently attained the same title? What rock had he been living under?

"_Eh, Samuel Oak?"_ the guy stammered after blinking once.

"Right answer, or one of them I guess," Gary sighed as he turned around and walked away. "Gramps! It's for you!"

**********

I could hardly believe I'd be speaking to Prof. Oak. I'd expected Gary – or someone who looked like him – to simply hang up, but I wouldn't complain. It didn't take long until an elderly face appeared on the small screen in front of me. Oak blinked a few times as he struggled to recognise me. In the end, expectedly, he couldn't.

"_Who are you?"_ he finally asked, sounding more surprised than impatient.

"Eh, my name's Rick," I started hesitantly. "Please hear me out before you decide to hang up on me. I want to talk to you about something really interesting."

"'_Something interesting' sounds rather vague, young man. I'm sure my grandson told you we're pretty busy right now. Can it wait?"_

"No sir, it can't," I dared say. "I know it's not exactly your field, but for some reason I felt you're the only one I can trust with this."

"_Not getting any clearer here,"_ Oak said impatiently. I wondered how I could break it to him without saying something like 'oh, we have a cartoon about you in my world, and games too', since it would probably end the call right there.

"I crossed dimensional planes," I said bluntly, figuring shock value would get me further than elaborate explanations in this case. "I'm not from this Earth, but from a parallel universe." I didn't add that mine had no Pokémon, since I'd have to explain my broad knowledge on them too, then.

A silence followed and I wasn't able to read the old man's face. Maybe more explanation _was_ in order… But just as I opened my mouth to speak again, Prof. Oak raised his hand to stop me.

"_You do realise this sounds incredibly farfetched, yes?"_ I nodded slowly. _"And I presume you have no proof, correct?"_ Instead of shaking my head, I only managed to look down. _"It's indeed outside of my regular field. It would be pretty accurate to assume you're telling me this because you want to go home, no? What makes you think I can help?"_ That made me look up.

"You believe me?" I asked, probably sounding a bit too surprised for my own good.

"_Let's not fret over that just yet, just tell me why you were so adamant about talking to _me_. If you're from a different world where I don't exist, how do you know me?"_ He had me with that one.

"I read some of the magazines here and they mention you a lot," I lied. "Yes, I want to go home, and no, I have no real proof what I'm saying is true. But if you want, I can give you a detailed list on what sets our worlds apart." I let that sink in for a few moments before going on, "As for why I chose you to confide in, I have two reasons. You seem to have a lot of credibility here, for one. And more importantly, even if it isn't your field, you are my best bet at going home. You are the most knowledgeable person on Pokémon I can find, and I believe the only thing that can send me back to my world is a Pokémon. I figured you'd know where to look."

Another silence.

"… _I see. You seem pretty convinced, and pretty bright too. Not the kind who would make up such an elaborate s-"_ Before Oak could finish, I heard chatter in the lobby and glanced back. My eyes widened when I saw… _Rose! Damn it!_

"Eh, just so you know I'm not doing this for the publicity or anything stupid like that, I'm asking you to pretty please not tell anyone about what I just said!" I fumbled quickly, giving my nicest smile and hoping it was enough of an apology for what I was about to do. "Sorry got to go, people coming, will be in touch!"

**********

"What was that all about?" Gary said, glancing back at his grandfather who was now staring at a blank screen.

"I honestly have no idea. I guess we'll see if he calls again…" Oak felt a smile creep on his face. "Well, I suppose I should say 'when'."

"You're getting way too into this," Gary sighed.

**********

"There you are!" Rose said as she made her way over. "What got you up this early?"

"Stupidity," I muttered absently, drawing a strange look from her. I grabbed the empty glass and walked back to Nurse Joy's desk. "Thanks," I said as I returned the glass to her.

"No problem," she smiled. "Oh, your Pokémon are almost ready. It looks like a good night's rest was all they needed!"

I felt somewhat relieved hearing this news, until I noticed a snag. "Almost, that's not quite?"

"Well, the only ones that were fine to begin with were Butterfree and Gastly. I'm afraid the others will need just a few more hours," she said. "You kind of got up at a bit of an early hour… I wasn't expecting you this fast." Hearing that from her seemed strange, since she was up before I got here. Did she even sleep at all?

"Eh, could I get Caesar and Gastly then, and I'll leave the others with you for a bit longer," I replied. "I'd like to have at least some of them with me."

"It's okay, we'll go to the Safari Zone first," Rose offered. Apparently the Safari Zone was a pretty safe place, and they didn't really like it if you took Pokémon with you anyway. That all sounded fine and dandy, but I managed to get Caesar and Gastly back anyway. For some reason I felt it was needed, the incident with Team Rocket earlier playing back in my head. Figuring we might as well make use of the facilities, we ate at the Center and avoided our pre-cooked junk. After that we set off to the Safari Zone which was a good thirty minute walk away, on the opposite edge of the city compared to the Gym.

The first gate looked pretty standard, with the only thing standing out being the sign reading 'Safari Zoo'. To my surprise, entrance was free. The zoo part was quite a bit more elaborate than it was in the games, and I really had no idea where I was going. They had quite a few rare Pokémon on display – like Kangaskhan, Lapras and a few others – but Rose didn't seem interested in this part of the park at all and kept dragging me along.

"Hey, come on! I might want to see those, you know!" I complained. That's when I saw the second gate.

A tall wooden fence separated the area ahead from the zoo we'd just walked through, and a big wooden structure seemed to provide the only way through. A huge slab bolted to the front read 'Pokémon Safari' in huge, bold print. Various signs were advertising a 'great opportunity' to see Pokémon in their natural habitats for 'only' five hundred bucks. So that's why the zoo was free…

"Quick, let's go in!" Rose said happily as she dragged me through the big doors. It seemed there weren't many people who shared her enthusiasm, as the main entry was pretty empty. The only people there looked like staff, all wearing the same clichéd clothes everyone wears on safaris – and there weren't even many of those. One of them, looking quite unhappy, walked up to us.

"Hi," he said. "I'm sorry, if you're here for a safari I'll have to let you down. We're not allowing anyone in right now because we can't guarantee your safety."

"What? Why?" Rose asked, sounding pretty disappointed.

"Recently a herd of Tauros have been causing problems, attacking anyone who gets near, even Pokémon. At first we thought it might have something to do with their mating season, but we soon realised the mating season ended a while ago," the man explained. "We have no idea what's causing them to act like this. They never did it before…" Suddenly the man fell to his knees and cried, "They've been at it for a month now! If they keep it up we'll be _ruined!_"

"If they're that much of a problem, take them out of the park or something," I said.

"You don't understand," a voice spoke up from behind. We turned and saw an old man in the doorway. "Tauros are an endangered species, so it's not that simple. You have to remember that the Safari Zone, above all, is a place where Pokémon can live without the constant worries of being hunted or caught that they would otherwise have in the wild. As such, it's often been used to bring endangered species back from the brink of extinction."

"Warden!" the man who spoke to us before veered up and rushed over to the old man. "Has the situation changed? Did you find anything?!"

In response, the old man simply sighed and shook his head as he hung up his coat, and the room went quiet.

"Father," a woman spoke up. "I have to agree with this person. The Tauros are a danger to the park and all the Pokémon that live in it. If we let this go on, we won't make enough money to stay open! All the work you've put into the Safari Zone will go to waste that way!"

"There you go again, bringing money into it!" the warden complained. "It's not about money. We should let nature handle this herself!"

"I know it's not about money," his daughter tried to reason. "But money _is_ what lets you keep things going! Without it, how will you sustain the park?"

"I didn't mean kick them out and let them fend for themselves," I interrupted, having heard enough family quarrel. "You can move them into a separate area until you find the cause, or at least until they calm down, right?"

"Well, that would be the case, except…" he sighed. "The problem is, that in their current state it's impossible to relocate them without causing them harm. I really dislike upsetting their natural lives."

I frowned. Wasn't pampering them in this protected park doing exactly that? So, I persisted. "But they're harming the other Pokémon now, who aren't used to it. So, aren't they affecting the regular pace of things?" The warden seemed to ponder this, but didn't look convinced yet. I glanced over at Rose, who was staying quiet through the whole thing. From what I could tell, she knew where this conversation was going and didn't seem to mind. So, this could only end one way then, eh? Fine… "If it puts you at ease, both of us have Pokémon with sleep inducing moves. It might be a bit tricky, but if we get it right we can put the herd down for a few hours. Would that be long enough to move them?"

I should've never offered…

**********

"Rose of Saffron and Rick of Lavender," Jason said. The Rocket, along with his boss and Billy, was sitting at a table in a dimly lit apartment. A phone, some papers and a small laptop computer were the only things present on the table. They'd left the remainder of the place pretty much untouched, only really using it as a temporary base of sorts.

"You're sure?" his boss replied as he scribbled the names down on a strip of paper and handed it to his other grunt, Billy. "Make work of it." Billy turned to his computer and started tapping away, trying to find out who they were searching.

"I'm not deaf, boss. That's what they said to Koga, I'm positive," Jason insisted. Just then, the phone rang. Both grunts instinctively reached for it, but Jason got it first. His face paled rather quickly. "It's for you boss," he said as he passed the phone. "It's the Executive…"

"_Agent Zack! Where's that fresh __shipment of Pokémon you promised me? How do you expect us to keep our trade going without a steady supply, hmm?"_ an impatient voice demanded.

"Eh, we've hit a little snag, sir…" Zack answered carefully. "We had a nice variety and good numbers, but we sort of lost them…"

"_Police interference?"_ the voice inquired.

"Sort of…" Zack replied uneasily, glancing at the faces of his grunts. Jason's face showed a hint of fear, but Billy was too busy with his task to notice what was going on.

"_What kind of answer is that?!"_ the voice yelled. _"We _needed_ those Pokémon, Zack! I thought I was clear on that! But instead you give me some weak excuse, expecting me to do what exactly? Come over to baby-sit your next op?!"_

"S-sir! There's no need for that!" Zack defended frantically. He didn't know whether the man on the other end was serious, but the last thing he needed was some Executive prancing about and ordering him around. "It was pure bad luck that we lost our stock! We'll get replacements right away, without fail this time!"

"_See to it that you do. Plans are moving forward, and we need the finances for the next few steps!"_

"Understood sir. We'll just have to speed up our own little scheme here," Zack said, a lot more serious than he was before. The voice on the other end grunted a goodbye right before the connection was dropped. Zack was left staring at the horn. _So we're on the move now…_

**********

**- II -**

**Author's Note**

I was lied to! There were TWO shots! Another thing I realised after I published the last chapter is – there are no lions in Pokéworld. D'oh. Anyway, fast plot development is fast! Don't worry though; the speed and depth of the plot revelations go up and down like a yo-yo. The next chapter will be as slow and shallow as the previous six! (come on, you can't have thought the Pokémon journey thing was the only plot in there…)

Chapter nine: I'm not quite sure how far I'll get, actually. In any case, Rick and Rose head into the Safari Zone for REAL this time, after postponing it for two goddamn chapters! I need to stop trying to move things along so quickly (not that they are quick – the updates that is).

**********

**- III -**

**Legal Gibberish**

I do not in any way own Pokémon or any of its copyrights and rights of other merchandise related to it. All characters and places in this story are entirely fictional and taken from or based on various aspects of the Pokémon universe. Any form of copying and/or misuse of this story by others will be reported. Please respect the imagination and effort made by others. Stealing is bad, don't do it.

WeirdDutchGuy


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